Camouflage
by noscruples
Summary: Olivia is brought in to help rescue the President & First Lady from terrorists. The more OPA finds, the more twisted the plot to bring down the President becomes until they reach the shocking truth. Will Olitz's past translate into a future? For now, it's rated T.
1. Chapter 1 - Crisis Mode

A/N – Okay, so obviously, Fitz and Olivia won't share any scenes for a while. But, don't worry. There will be lots of good flashbacks. I won't be updating this one daily. I'll commit to at least once a week though. It's the only way I can fit it into my schedule since so many of you asked for another story. I really appreciate all the interest in my last one. Please review and let me know what you think thus far.

Chapter 1 – Crisis Mode

Olivia walked down the hallway of the West Wing like she was on a mission. She never imagined that she would be in this position. All hell was breaking lose and they had called her. She didn't even know how Cyrus had located her. The last few years, she was busy establishing her business in New York under an assumed name. She managed to avoid the spotlight and have Abby be the spokesperson for the company. So, when she got the call from Cyrus, she was rattled to say the least. But, given the circumstances, she understood why he had gone to such great lengths to find her.

"You can go inside Ms. Pope."

"Thank you." Olivia said smiling. Pushing open the door, she came face to face with Cyrus Beene.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

"Hello Olivia." He said standing and hugging her.

"Hi Cyrus." She said pulling back.

"It's good to see you again. Please, have a seat."

They both sat down and looked at each other for a few seconds. Cyrus didn't seem to change that much since she last saw him. He still look stressed and overworked. But at the moment, he did have a soft smile on his face.

He had understood why Olivia disappeared. Fitz had almost lost his mind over it. He had been convinced that Mellie had something to do with it and it took him a long time to be civil with her.

"How did you find me?"

"You know me, when I want something, I get it."

Olivia smirked. "What can I do for you?" She asked although she knew perfectly well what he wanted.

"We need to get him back Olivia and I know what your company does. I need to pull in every resource that I can."

"I would need access to all of your files and video surveillance."

"Done."

"I need to fly my team in."

"Done."

"We need some place to work out of."

"Again, done. I will give you anything you need."

Olivia nodded. "Show me what happened."

Cyrus nodded and brought a video file up on his laptop and they watched.

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Olivia's eyes were glued to the screen. President Grant and Mellie were on a diplomatic trip to Brazil. She watched terrorists relentlessly attack the building that they were in. And when she finally saw Fitz and Mellie bodies thrown into an armored vehicle, she gasped. The President had been kidnapped 48 hours prior and there was no contact by the terrorists.

"And you didn't find anything that would tell you who did this?"

"No. They commandeered all of the tanks and uniforms from their armed forces. They totally blended in."

"There has to be something that we're missing."

"That's why I called in the best."

"Where are the kids?"

"Upstairs. We brought them in yesterday."

Olivia stood up. "I want to see them. Get my team here Cyrus."

"There's one more thing Olivia."

"What?"

"I'm assigning a secret service agent to you."

"Cyrus…." She said slumping back in the chair. It was the last thing that she wanted. She had Huck anyway. She didn't need someone else following her around. It was such a Fitz move, that she couldn't fathom where his head was at.

"Hear me out. We don't know how deep this goes. There are moles and if they get word that you are involved, they are going to try and stop you. I can't let that happen. I'm not going to take no for an answer"

Olivia sighed. "Fine."

He picked up the phone. "Send Tom in here."

Olivia frowned. "Tom? But, why wasn't he with the President?"

"Hal went in his place. Tom's mother was ill and Fitz insisted that he stay here."

Tom walked into the room. Olivia hadn't seen him in a long time. She noted that he looked really tired.

"Tom, you will be guarding Olivia until further notice."

Tom nodded.

"Please take her up to see the kids."

Olivia stood up. "We'll talk soon." She said to Cyrus.

She went out into the hallway. They passed an empty conference room and Olivia pulled him inside.

"Is there a problem Ms. Pope?"

She took a deep breath. "Tom, first of all you need to call me Olivia, and second, how are you doing?"

He looked away from her. "I'm fine."

"No you're not. Is your mother okay?"

He nodded yes.

"Good. It's not your fault you know. From what I saw, there was nothing you would have been able to do. The President would have lost you and I know that he would have been very upset by that."

Tom didn't answer. He didn't feel the same way and he wasn't going to argue with her. Hal was dead and the President was gone. He studied her for a moment. She looked the same except very worried at the moment. He had always liked Olivia. He had never seen Fitz as happy as he was with her. "You think you can find them?" He asked.

"I will do everything I can to make that happen. And, I'm glad that it's you watching my back."

Tom gave her a slight smile. "Let's go."

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Olivia walked towards the living room and took a deep breath. She hadn't seen the kids for about 2 1/2 years. She walked inside and Karen looked up and gasped. Jumping up she ran towards Olivia and hugged her tightly.

Olivia held her as she sobbed.

"They took them." Karen said softly.

"I know baby. I'm so sorry. Your Uncle Cyrus and I are trying our best to get them back."

She took her hand and they sat down on the couch. Karen cuddled into her. Olivia had spent a year with the kids when she was helping with Fitz's campaign. She couldn't believe that Karen was 9 already.

"I'm scared."

"So am I but I refuse to give up and I don't want you to either."

Jerry walked into the room. "Olivia?" He said shocked to see her sitting there.

Olivia stood up and walked over to him. "I'm here helping to find your parents. How are you holding up?"

To her surprise, he gave her a hug. They pulled back and she looked him over. He was 13 and was now taller than her. His hair was longer and messy and he had bags under his eyes.

"Talk to me." She said softly.

Jerry shrugged. "I don't know what to do. We can't go anywhere and no one will tell us anything."

"Right now, there's nothing to tell. We're trying to figure out who did this and find them."

"Will you please let us know if something changes?"

Olivia nodded. "I may not be able to give you a lot of details, but I will try to let you know as much as I can."

Jerry sighed. "Thank you."

He looked over at his sister. "The tutor is here."

Karen groaned. "Okay." She said walking up to them. "Bye Olivia."

Olivia leaned over and kissed her on the head. "Bye sweetie."

She watched them walk away and then made her way back downstairs and then to the West Wing.

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Cyrus approached her. "I thought it was best if you slept here. The kids would probably appreciate it and that way if something happens, I know you're safe."

Olivia nodded. "She didn't have a problem with that. My suitcases and garment bags are in the car. I'll have Abby send down some more of my things."

She didn't want to admit it but she knew this wasn't going to be a quick search. It seemed like the terrorists were trying to make a statement and this was going to drag out. She just hoped that they weren't torturing Fitz. "Hang in there." She said under her breath as she followed Cyrus to a large war room.

"You and your staff will operate out of here." There was a woman sitting at a desk towards the back. They walked towards her. "This is Lauren. She was the President's secretary. She'll work with you for now. She can handle more than answering phones. She's a very good researcher and has a good eye for detail. So, make sure you utilize her."

"Okay. Lauren, it's nice to meet you." She said extending her hand.

"Nice to meet you too." Lauren said smiling. Olivia was beautiful and obviously smart or she knew Cyrus wouldn't have called her. She figured she could probably learn a lot from her.

Cyrus nodded and left them.

"Well, how about we get started. I need a meeting with the Secretary of Defense and it seems like he's booked for days. Can you make that happen sometime today?"

"You got it." Lauren said smiling. She moved back to her desk as Olivia walked over to the computer that sat on the table and began to work. The defense secretary had been rather cantankerous lately. But, she wanted to prove herself to Olivia. She looked at his calendar and smiled. He wasn't with anyone at the moment. She called his secretary Joan.

"Hi, it's Lauren, listen my new boss needs about an hour with the Defense Secretary. What time does he have available today?"

"Sorry but there is nothing available. He's pretty booked and in the small openings that he has he needs to catch up and field calls."

"Thank you Joan." She said hanging up the phone.

She thought for a moment. There was no way in hell that she was going to fail her first assignment. So, she decided to pay him a visit personally.

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"Hi Joan." Lauren said as she breezed past the shocked woman's desk.

"Hey." Joan yelled as Lauren flung open the door and walked inside.

Defense Secretary Jonas Williams was not having a good day. He was under a lot of pressure lately trying to make sure their borders and the American people were protected. It would mean his career if anything else bad happened under his watch. He liked his job and wasn't willing to let that happen.

"What do you think you are doing?" He growled.

"I need an hour of your time."

He sighed and looked back down at his papers. "Not going to happen."

"Well make it happen." She said firmly.

He looked back up her and glared. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

He knew exactly who she was but couldn't believe that she was ordering him around.

"Cyrus hired my new boss to help try to find the President. She requested a meeting with you today. I'm here to make that happen."

"I don't have time."

"Well make time. I'm sure that Cyrus wouldn't approve if you brushed her off. There are too many lives at stake." She said dramatically.

Jonas clenched his jaw as he stared her down. "Tell her to be in my office in a half hour. She has 15 minutes." He said looking away in effect dismissing her.

Lauren's mouth twisted into a smile. "Thank you." She said walking back out.

"Later Joan." She said smirking at the girl who was glaring at her. She went to find Olivia and let her know.

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Olivia walked towards Jonas's office. Joan told her to go in and she took a deep breath before opening door. Lauren had warned her of his mood.

Jonas looked up as the door opened. He saw Olivia walk in and sucked in his breath. She was gorgeous. He stood up. "Ms. Pope, it's an honor to meet you." He said evenly.

Olivia smiled. She wasn't expecting the hospitality. "Thank you Secretary Williams. I know you're a busy man so I appreciate you taking a few minutes to meet with me."

He nodded. "Please call me Jonas."

"Okay, in that case, please call me Olivia."

He smiled and she sat down across from him.

"I am going to be helping with the search for the President."

"Do you mind sharing your background?" He asked curiously.

"Not at all. I helped the President during the campaign. I left right after the election and eventually started my own business in New York. Let's just say I fix things. I have an excellent staff that can find out anything on anyone and we are very good at making embarrassing situations go away."

"Interesting, but how is that going to translate into finding President Grant?"

"Because I will leave no rock unturned in my search for the President and First Lady. If there are leads, I assure you that we can find them."

He tried not to smile. Her tone was fierce and confident. He had no doubt that she would deliver which in turn would save his ass. "Well, given the circumstances, I will do whatever I can to cooperate in your search. Please don't hesitate to ask for anything."

Olivia smiled. "I appreciate that. I won't take up any more of your time. If you get any information that would help, I'm in the war room."

He nodded. "Well, it was very nice to meet you." He said standing up and extending his hand.

Olivia shook it. "Nice to meet you too.

He watched her walk out and smiled. He definitely wanted to see her again.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia sat inside the conference by herself. She stared at a picture of Fitz on the computer and her mind started to wander. It had been a long time since she had allowed herself to think about him.

_FLASHBACK_

_Cyrus smiled up at Fitz. "I'd like to introduce you to Olivia Pope. She is going to help you win the election."_

_Fitz looked down at the beautiful woman standing before him. "Hello, welcome to the team." He said holding his hand out._

_Olivia reached out for his hand and when they made contact she felt her stomach flutter. She cleared her throat so she could find her voice. "It's nice to meet you Governor Grant."_

_They both reluctantly let go._

_ "I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes. I have something that I need to handle." Cyrus said walking out of the office and shutting the door._

_ "Please have a seat." Fitz said smiling._

_Olivia made herself comfortable._

_ "So, Cyrus tells me that you have been watching me from afar for a few weeks. What do you think?"_

_Olivia decided not to pull any punches. "Do you love your wife?"_

_Fitz flinched. "What kind of question is that?"_

_ "A valid one, if I have to ask then clearly you have an image problem. And I don't want the politically correct answer. I need the truth. I promise you that your answer will not leave this room."_

_Fitz studied her for a moment. Just her tone and the way she licked her lips before speaking was captivating him in a way that shocked him. He looked at a picture of his family on his desk and then back at her. "Mellie and I are having some problems. We have been for several years. Clearly my political aspirations are important to us both, otherwise, we probably wouldn't be together. I understand how crucial my family image is in winning the election. So, what do you suggest?"_

_Olivia mulled over his words before speaking. _

_Fitz watched her carefully. The truth was that he couldn't have looked away if he tried._

_ "I'm going to be blunt with you. If you two continue to act like it hurts to even look at each other, you are going to lose this election. Right now, your "love" is not believable. People are not relating to you and you know how important family values are to people in this country. If you want more of the female vote, then act like you're in love with your wife and that your family means everything to you. Talk about your education policy with a passion and mention your children as a way to relate to the average person. You've kept them in public school for a reason. You have to sell it not just say the words." She said passionately._

_Fitz could feel his pulse speed up. This woman, in 10 minutes, had drawn him in and he knew he was a goner. Everything about her intrigued him and he knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he kissed her succulent lips. He closed his eyes for a second imagining it before looking at her again. He had never cheated before or even remotely thought about it. But he wanted Olivia Pope with every fiber of his being and somehow he was going to get her._

_Olivia watched him. She wasn't sure what he was thinking about but at one point, he had looked at her so intensely that her body had involuntarily shivered. Here she was talking to him about showing his love for his family and all she could do was wonder how his lips would feel on hers._

_END FLASHBACK_

Her thoughts were interrupted by Huck. She grinned. "Hi, I'm glad to see you."

"Where should I sit?"

She pointed to a door. "That room has some servers in it and a desk. I thought it would be perfect."

He nodded. "I'll get set up." He said moving towards the door.

Huck didn't talk a lot but she was probably closest to him. He had been through a lot and Olivia always felt the need to make sure he was protected which was pretty ironic since he was a trained killer.

She got up and handed him a disk. "This is some CIA surveillance of the kidnapping. Look at it and let me know what you think."

She turned to see Abby walking towards her. She smiled.

"The White House huh?" She asked curiously. She was the only one that knew Olivia had been with Fitz. They had discussed that relationship at length and never thought that Olivia would ever step foot in Washington, let alone the White House.

"I know. It's pretty ironic huh?"

She decided to change the subject. "Where are you staying?"

"Across the street at the Blair House."

Olivia nodded.

"And you?" Abby asked curiously.

"Upstairs in the Lincoln bedroom."

Her eyebrows shot up. "Nice." She said smiling. "What do you need me to do?"

She pointed to a seat where a computer sat. "I came up with some possibly scenarios, I need you to plot them out. The printer is over there."

"What about me?" Harrison said walking into the room.

"Can you help research some of the suspects? I need to find out where they were on that day. Cyrus has a folder called 'Countermine'. Inside you will find all the intel they say they have found.

Huck popped his head out and walked into the room. "Stop." He said firmly. He looked around the room and noted a camera in the corner. Olivia followed his gaze and then turned back to the computer. Huck went into the room and came back out in a few minutes. "It's taken care of." Walking around the room, he checked it to make sure there were no listening devices and it came back clean. "If we need to hack into CIA records, I can do that without them noticing. I have a feeling they didn't give us everything."

Olivia nodded.

Lauren walked into the room. Olivia introduced everyone. She shut the door.

"Quinn is on the way in. She went to your apartment to box up some clothes and other things she thought you'd need. So, she took a later flight."

"Great." Olivia said before looking over at Lauren. "Lauren, I need your word on something."

She stopped what she was doing and looked up.

"Whatever happens in this room has to stay in this room. Seriously, you can't even tell Cyrus. If you can't agree to that, then I'm going to have to ask you to leave. I can't take any chances with the President's life."

Lauren took a deep breath. "I will do whatever it takes to get him back. If that means I need to be quiet or even lie, I'll do it."

Olivia smiled. "Good, then let's get to work."


	2. Chapter 2 – Exposed

A/N – Thank you for the reviews, follows, and favorites! I do appreciate it! I spend a lot of time writing fics and hearing your comments is the only thing I really get back for it. So, it's nice to hear your ruminations. Glad you guys are excited to have me back.

Chapter 2 – Exposed

Fitz leaned back against the wall of the cell and closed his eyes. Mellie was sleeping beside him and he had started thinking about his life up to this point. His thoughts always led him back to one person. She invaded them sometimes leaving him breathless with want. Olivia Pope was the love of his life and he would do anything to see her again and find out why she had left almost 3 years prior. A memory ran through his head and he chuckled to himself. It was ironic that he was rotting away in some basement cell with his obnoxious wife and all he could think about was how beautiful and sexy Liv looked when she was calling out his name. But she had run away from him and he never got a chance to even say goodbye. That was something that needed to be immediately rectified if he made it home.

_FLASHBACK_

_ "Cyrus, can you get Olivia in here please?" Fitz asked as he stared out of the window of his study. Olivia was usually at the house by this time. She had helped him win the election and he wanted to thank her privately._

_Cyrus cleared his throat. Telling Fitz that Olivia was gone was the last thing that he wanted to do. "Fitz, I'm sorry but Olivia is gone."_

_Fitz turned around quickly and Cyrus was met by a perplexing stare. "What do you mean she's gone?"_

_Cyrus sat down and rubbed his face with his hands. "I mean that she is not here. All of her things are gone from her hotel room. Apparently, she checked out and there's no trace of her."_

_Fitz didn't say anything at first. For a long moment, he just stared at Cyrus like he had been speaking another language. He was trying to think back over the last few days and see if she had given any hint that she was leaving. Running thought his thoughts, he couldn't think of anything that made sense. He dropped down into his chair and grabbed the phone. Dialing her number, he waited but it said that it was disconnected. "Why would she leave me?" He said barely audible as he slammed the phone back down._

_Cyrus sighed. "Fitz, you're going to be President. What other choice did she have? Did you expect her to just stand on the sidelines and be your mistress for the next 4 to 8 years? It wasn't fair to her. I think she jumped before she got in too deep and ruined your career."_

_ "Find her." He growled as he tried to gain control of his temper. He was so angry. He didn't know how he could get through the day without staring into her eyes or hearing her voice. _

_Cyrus stood up. "I'll do the best I can."_

_Fitz watched him walk out and then slammed his hands down onto the desk. He couldn't believe that this was happening and he would never stop looking for her._

_End Flashback_

Cyrus sat at his desk as he momentarily closed his eyes. They had worked so hard to get to the White House, and never in a million years did he think it would end in Fitz's death. The kidnapping shocked the world. There were offers from numerous countries offering their services, but not one mode of contact from the kidnappers. No one had taken responsibility and it was like Mellie and Fitz had disappeared from the face of the earth. Nothing made any sense.

He picked up the bottle of tums from the desk and chewed on a few. "Think Cyrus." He said loudly. "If you were the kidnappers why would you take the President and not make any demands?" Standing up, he walked over to the window and looked outside. He thought he saw someone out on the lawn dressed in black and he gasped and ran out into the hallway while calling the secret service.

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Olivia had gone upstairs to grab something from her bags when she looked up and saw Tom in the hallway. The look on his face scared the shit out of her. She walked towards him as another agent approached them with the kids.

"Let's go." Tom said grabbing Olivia's arm. They hurried to a stairwell and started racing down them. The only sound that was heard was Karen's whimpers.

There was a big pop and Karen screamed.

"It's going to be okay Karen." Olivia said grabbing her hand.

They ran into a hallway until they came to another door. It had a keypad and Tom punched in a code and the door slid open. It looked like a dark closet, but the 5 of them squeezed inside and the door shut. Tom pushed a button and the room jerked and Olivia grabbed Tom's arm with her left hand and held Karen's hand in her right. It was an elevator. It slowly moved down and soon stopped. When the doors opened, people were scurrying around and Tom led them to a room. "Stay in here." He said closing the door behind him.

Olivia sat on a bed with the kids on either side of her. Their agent stood by the door. She looked down at Karen who was trembling and rubbed her arm.

"What do you think is going on?" Jerry asked.

"I don't know. Maybe someone tried to breach the perimeter." Olivia said softly. "But, we're underground. We're safe here."

Jerry nodded.

"Is this how my parents felt?" Karen asked looking up at Olivia. Her eyes were full of tears which she swiped at with her hand.

"It was way worse than this." Jerry said before Olivia could answer.

There was a knock on the door and Cyrus came in.

"What's going on?" Olivia asked.

"Not in front of them." Cyrus said.

Jerry rolled his eyes. "Here we go again. You need to tell us something Uncle Cyrus. You can't keep shutting us out."

Olivia stood up and walked towards him. Cyrus took a deep breath. "There was a shooter outside that made it onto the lawn. He killed a few pedestrians. He's been apprehended, but we brought you down here just in case there were others."

"Thank you for telling us the truth." Jerry said pulling Karen into his side.

"Do you think this was related to the kidnapping?" Olivia asked quietly.

"I don't know. Hopefully we'll be able to figure out who he was soon." Cyrus said whispering back. "Can you break away?"

Olivia turned to Jerry. "Is it okay if I go with Cyrus for a little bit? I promise that I will be back."

Jerry nodded. "I'll take care of her."

Olivia smiled. Jerry was a great big brother. Fitz would be really proud of him. She followed Cyrus out of the room and into a large conference room. There were several senators and some military high ranking officers in the room. The defense secretary was seated across from where Olivia now sat.

"What we know is that the perpetrator is Iraqi. He's young, maybe 18. It looks like he was working alone." Jonas said evenly.

"For what purpose?"

"He had a manifesto on him detailing how horrible America was and how all Americans were going to pay for their sinful nature."

Sally Langston, the interim President, cleared her throat. "Did he mention any particular faction that he was involved in?"

Jonas shook his head. "No."

"This doesn't make any sense." Olivia said. Everyone turned and looked at her.

Cyrus cleared his throat. "Everyone, this is Olivia Pope. She is helping review all the video and audio surveillance we have for clues."

"First they take the President and don't ask for anything in return, and now some lunatic shows up at the White House, clearly exposing our vulnerability. He doesn't say where he is from, only that the country sucks. What if he were being used as some kind of distraction or catalyst for something far greater in magnitude?"

"What are you getting at?"

Olivia shrugged. "I'm not sure yet but I do think that we may be looking at this all wrong. There has got to be someone on the inside involved who knew exactly where the President would be; who knew how to get a gunman so close to the White House. Are they trying to embarrass us or show weakness? And if they were, why?"

Jonas sighed. "You've made some good observations Olivia. Maybe we should be considering a different angle to this."

Sally shifted in her seat. "It is a possibility that you're right. But, I don't want to abandon the easy assumption which is that they are just letting us sweat so that we are more apt to give them what they want in the end. Terrorist might be violent, but they aren't always the smartest. Eventually, they are going to do something stupid. Count on it." She said flatly.

Olivia stared at Sally. While the woman was great on paper, and her family values helped them win the election, she had never particularly liked her.

Olivia stood. "I need to get back to the kids. I'll get back to you later." She said to Cyrus before walking out the door. She looked up and saw Tom down the hall and walked back to the kid's room.

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Olivia laid down on her side and watched the kids sleeping in the other bed. Tom was in a chair next to the door. Although the day had been stressful, she really wasn't tired. Her mind kept running through scenarios. What if someone in the administration orchestrated the kidnapping? What if they needed Fitz out of the way to accomplish their agenda? Did they plan on killing him or was this merely a diversion?

_FLASHBACK_

_Fitz stared down at Olivia. Every inch of his body felt like it was on fire. "I need you Olivia." The low timbre of his voice matched with the desire in his eyes. Olivia tried to open her mouth but it was like she was hypnotized by his eyes and she couldn't move. "Olivia?" He asked reaching up and touching her face._

_This was not how she wanted her life to go. She was not the mistress type. What the hell was she doing? It was like the man was a magnet and she couldn't resist him. She saw his lips moving towards her and her eyes grew wide. You can stop this Olivia, her mind was screaming. You have to stop this. But, she wanted it so badly. Unconsciously, she licked her lips as Fitz's tilted head slowly inched its way towards her. She could feel his hot breath on her lips and just before they touched, there was a knock on the door that made them both jump back; rattled by what almost had occurred._

_ "Fitz, I need you to sign these." Cyrus said coming through the door. He wasn't looking up so he didn't notice the flushed looks on both of their faces._

_Olivia took a step backwards and Cyrus looked up. "Oh hi Olivia." He said smiling._

_Olivia smiled back. "I should go." She said before turning and walking towards the door._

_Fitz took the papers out of Cyrus hand while he watched her walk through the door. He had almost done it. He still wanted to do it. And now he knew that she really wanted it too. He smiled and sat down at his desk._

_END FLASHBACK_

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Reporter Gideon Wallace walked into the clerk's office in Salem, Oregon. He had heard a rumor and wanted to see if it was true. Apparently, before the kidnapping had occurred, Fitz and Mellie had quietly filed for divorce. If they had, it would be public record and he would get the story of a lifetime. He smiled at the thought of Anderson Cooper interviewing him on CNN.

"Hello." The clerk said looking up at him. "How may I help you?"

"I need to look at divorce fillings for the last month."

She nodded and led him to a table. An older computer sat on it and she turned it on and they waited for it to boot up. It seemed like it took forever, but finally a software program popped up and she entered a few commands before listings started to pop up.

"So, everything has been filed?"

"Yes sir."

"And everything should be public record right?"

She nodded.

He flipped through all the names but didn't see anything. Not trusting his eyes, he painstakingly read through all of them to make sure nothing was missing. Frowning, he sank back against the back of the chair and ran his hands through his hair. This couldn't be. His source was rock solid. He sat back up and focused on the screen again, but this time he paid attention to each docket number. It could be sorted by name, so he looked through the G's and saw that a file was missing. He jotted the number down and went over to the clerk.

"Hi, did you find what you were looking for?"

"Maybe, you said that everything was filed right?"

She nodded.

"Then how come this docket number is missing?"

She frowned and took the piece of paper from him. "Let me check my system."

She typed the number and pressed search. Gideon watched the perplexed look on her face.

"Is something wrong?" He asked curiously.

She nodded. "Will you excuse me for a moment?" She said getting up and walking to the back. Searching through some drawers, she located the area the docket should be filed and came back with nothing. Walking back out towards her desk, she passed it and went over to her boss's desk and looked around. She prided herself in making sure that everything was done correctly, so she wasn't happy that something was misplaced. Walking over to his file cabinet, she pulled the set of keys out of her pocket and opened it. She searched every drawer, and when she came to the last one, she saw the file with the docket number and proudly grabbed it. Not even bothering to read it, she walked towards Gideon with a smile. "I found it." She said handing him the folder.

"Thank you." He said smiling graciously.

He walked back over to the desk and sat down and took a deep breath.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia walked into the war room. They had finally gotten the all clear to come upstairs.

"Hey." Harrison said smiling up at her. "Did you enjoy your little adventure?"

Olivia rolled her eyes. "The bed really wasn't that comfortable."

Quinn smiled. "Well, it's good to have you back."

Olivia smiled. When she had first brought Quinn into the fold, she wasn't sure if she'd fit in. But, she quickly proved that she had great potential. She was a good study and had a good eye for detail.

Abby walked in behind her and sat down. "Where do you need us to start?" She asked as Huck made his way to the table from the security room.

Olivia turned and looked at Lauren at the desk. "First, I want to make sure that you all have introduced yourselves to Lauren who is usually the President's executive secretary but will be helping us out as much as possible."

Lauren smiled. Quinn quickly introduced herself and then Olivia cleared her throat.

"Something isn't right. I can't shake the feeling that someone on the inside is orchestrating this mess. I think we should think conspiracy with top suspects in the upper echelons of the white house."

Lauren's eyes grew big and she made sure she was paying attention.

"Why do you think that?" Harrison asked.

"Because of the lack of contact by the kidnappers and the sniper. I'm wondering if there is some hidden agenda. Maybe this was to serve as a diversion."

"So, you're saying that the President is probably safe?"

"I won't go that far because of the violent way this all went down, but I'm just wondering if his absence serves a greater purpose."

Everyone was lost in thought when Lauren piped up. "Excuse me."

They all looked up at her.

She walked over to the printer and grabbed the sheets she just printed and handed them out.

"What's this?" Quinn asked.

"It's all the bills that are coming up for vote in the senate. I highlighted the docket number of all the ones the President was opposed to. I keep track of all of this for him and update it daily. It also lists key supporters which include special interest groups." She said proudly.

Olivia smiled. "You'd make a great gladiator." She said looking over the information. "I want you guys to focus on this list. Split it up and get me a suspect mockup. And I want to remind all of you, once we start posting pictures up, no one gets into this room but us; not even Cyrus. If no one is in here, I'll have Tom have someone guard it. If the word gets out that we're really on to something, it could get ugly really quick."

They all nodded.

"And let Lauren help research. She knows the players and could be a big help."

Olivia stood up. "I'll be back." She said leaving the room. She moved outside and ended up in the rose garden. Turning she looked up at Tom and asked him to have a seat on a bench.

"I need to ask you something off the record."

Tom nodded.

"Tell me what you can about the relationship between Grayden Osborne and the administration."

Tom thought for a moment. "He isn't very well liked. He has a reputation for being obstinate and unapproachable. I don't think Cyrus trusts him at all."

"Speaking of which, I need to know because I've been out of the game for a few years and people change. Did Fitz trust Cyrus completely?"

Tom nodded. "Yes. They are very close. Cyrus pushes his patience sometimes, but I don't think he'd do anything to hurt him."

Olivia let out a sigh of relief. "Good."

"Is there anyone you didn't trust?"

Tom seemed to squirm a little.

"Tom, this is just between you and me and it's really important if we are going to get Fitz back. I know you hear a lot of things and you are supposed to keep it quiet. I respect that, but this is Fitz's life we are talking about here."

"I don't trust Sally and Mellie."

"Was Mellie doing something behind the President's back?"

His face turned a little red and Olivia turned away for a second. Was Mellie cheating on him?

Tom grimaced and Olivia took that as a yes.

"What else?"

He held up his hand and listened through his ear piece. Olivia could tell whatever they were telling him wasn't good.

"There was a story leaked to the press. We might have a problem."

Olivia frowned. "What is it?"

"Someone found out that the President filed for divorce in Oregon a few days before they were kidnapped."

"What?" Olivia said loudly.

Before Tom could say anything Abby was walking towards them. "You need to get in here."

Olivia nodded and followed her back inside.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia sat at the table watching CNN

_Reporter: Sources for the Post say that the story released just a half hour ago that indicates that the President had filed for a dissolution of marriage just a few short days before the kidnapping is true. The court document lists irreconcilable differences as the grounds for divorce. This news has shocked an already rocked nation. It is true that they have not been seen together a lot in the past year, but no one thought that their relationship was broken. The couple has been accused of not seeming like they were in love early in the presidential campaign. However, they appeared to step up and managed to convince the nation that they were indeed happy together. Now, we are all left to wonder if that was just a clever ruse in order to get votes. _

The reporter droned on and Olivia turned off the sound. "Great, not only do we have to deal with getting him back, but we are also going to have an image crisis."

Olivia turned to Lauren. "Did you know that they were getting a divorce?"

She nodded. "I suspected it, but I wasn't really sure."

"Was Mellie fighting him?"

"I really don't know. You might have to ask Cyrus about that. The President and the First Lady really didn't hang out at all the last year. I rarely saw her near the oval office."

Olivia wondered what the hell had happened to them. "I'll be right back." She said leaving the room. Cyrus had a lot of explaining to do.


	3. Chapter 3 – Masked Truths

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! It's so awesome that you guys are liking the story so much. I appreciate your comments so much! And thanks for all the welcome back wishes as well. Hopefully all of you will enjoy the ride!

Chapter 3 – Masked Truths

Cyrus looked up from his computer and watched Olivia walk towards him. It didn't take a genius to know that she wanted answers.

"You might as well start talking." She said sitting down across from him.

Cyrus sighed. He really hoped he could have put off talking about this a while longer. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Is it true? Did he file for divorce?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"What really happened Cyrus? I can't see Fitz doing this unless something blew up majorly between them."

"It wasn't just one thing. But towards the end, she had an affair with someone that completely crossed the line. As a result, Mellie agreed to the divorce with the condition that it would come out that she cheated so that Fitz would save face. The person she cheated with would not be revealed ever."

Olivia didn't say anything at first. She knew he was leaving a lot out.

"Cyrus, you know that I will eventually find out everything right?"

"Olivia, some things I am not at liberty to discuss with you openly. You know how the game is played. You are on a need to know basis."

"Need to know? Do you really think that is going to get Fitz back?"

Cyrus pushed back from the desk and started pacing. He suddenly pivoted and faced her. "You don't know what you are asking me to do. Agreements were made. People's lives can be destroyed. Fitz could lose everything."

"You mean you can lose everything?"

Cyrus growled. "Yes, I could too. But, it's not just about me Olivia. There are a cast of players with a vested interest on the outcome of all of this. Don't you think if I thought the information would help that I would tell you?"

Olivia stood up. "I'm not sure. I know you Cyrus and whatever you're sitting on is big; too big for me to let go."

"You need to tread lightly Olivia. I really don't want you to get hurt and I might not be in a position to help you."

Olivia glared at him. This whole conversation only served to make her even more determined to find out everything. She stood up. "To me, it seems like you're protecting these other people more than you're protecting Fitz."

Cyrus growled.

"Stop, save your breath because I already know what you're going to say. You've probably practiced it a million times already in your head. But, I just don't want to hear it. When you decide to grow some balls and tell me the truth, you know where to find me." She said spinning on her heels and walking out of the office.

"Son of a bitch." Cyrus yelled crashing down into his chair. "Now what the hell am I going to do?"

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Mellie watched Fitz sleep. He looked so handsome. Gone was the scowl that he seemed to always reserve for her and the contempt in his voice when he addressed her. The last few months had been torture. She had hurt him badly; payback for him carrying on with that bitch Olivia Pope. When she had left, Mellie had thought she was home free. She would get her husband back and everything would go back to normal. But, that's not what happened. Fitz turned his anger onto her. He blamed her for that tramp leaving and Mellie started to hate him. Even listening to his breathing late at night just pissed her off. And when he came to her and showed her the divorce papers they had an epic fight.

_FLASHBACK_

_ "You have the nerve to shove those papers in my face like our marriage meant nothing. You started this shit Fitz. You are the one who cheated on me with that woman and called her the love of your life. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?" She screeched._

_Fitz rolled his eyes. "Clearly it has not sunk in that I don't give a shit about how you feel; especially after I found out who you've been screwing this last year." He growled out._

_ "Oh, so there it is. It's okay for you to disapprove of my dalliances but I don't get to disapprove of yours? St. Olivia is off limits right? To hell with you Fitzgerald Grant. Maybe if you would have made love to your wife instead of fucking your mistress in your head 24/7, we wouldn't be here arguing right now." She yelled. "Are you really willing to throw away your career over this?"_

_Fitz's face turned red. "This is all on you Mellie. You did this. We have no choice. You shouldn't have slept with him. You knew that if it came to light that it would destroy everything. But, you just couldn't help yourself could you?"_

_Mellie sank down into a chair. "He was there for me. He listened and eventually made it known that he wanted me. Do you realize how long it had been since someone wanted me in that way? So, excuse me for wanting a little comfort and an occasional orgasm. Is that really so bad?" She said quietly. Mellie knew that she had done something that couldn't be taken back but part of her didn't care. She was tired of hurting all the time and Fitz rejecting her._

_Fitz started laughing. "Wow, you're good. You always knew how to lie and put on a good show; turn on the tears. Bottom line is that you made your bed and now you have to lie in it. You got caught. So, put on your big girl panties and sign the fucking papers and get out of my room." He yelled._

_Mellie picked up the water glass next to her and hurled it at him. Fitz didn't duck fast enough and it glanced the side of his forehead. In what seemed like slow motion, she watched the look of surprise and anger formulate on his face as his hand pressed against his head and he stumbled backwards. The glass shattered against the wall and Fitz sat on the bed with his mouth open staring at her._

_ "Oh my God, Fitz. I'm so sorry." She said running towards him._

_ "Don't touch me." He said holding up his other hand. "Get out." He growled._

_She swallowed hard. The look in his eyes was pure hatred and it made her cringe. Holding in a sob, she turned around and walked out of the room knowing that there was no going back for either one of them. It was over and she didn't think that she could do anything to stop it._

_END FLASHBACK_

Fitz felt her eyes on him and looked over at her. "What's wrong?"

It was hard having to be around her all of the time, but he figured it was easier to try to be cordial. He wanted to make it out of there alive.

"I was just thinking. I'm sorry for hitting you with the glass. I didn't think my aim would be that good."

Fitz rolled his eyes. "You were a pitcher on the girl's softball team."

Mellie smirked. "True, I forgot about that."

"Do you find it strange that they haven't had us read any kind of propaganda or make any statements to prove we're still alive?"

Mellie shrugged and sat on the edge of the bed. "I've given up trying to figure it all out. I just want to get the hell out of here."

"I'm sure someone has found out about the divorce papers by now." He said quietly.

She nodded. "I was thinking about that earlier. It's going to be nightmare once we're back."

"Where are you going to go?" He asked curiously.

"Initially, I wanted to move back to California but I know you want the kids around you."

Fitz was silent. They hadn't even told the kids yet. He hated that they would find out without them there to explain. This was going to devastate them. "I want the kids around me. I don't want to pull them away from their friends and their routine. They are going to need that."

Mellie sighed. She wasn't the most maternal person in the world. "Maybe they should stay with you at the White House. I can find an apartment close by and they can visit."

He looked at her with surprise. "You would be okay with that?"

She nodded. "They are closer to you anyway."

"Mellie…"

"Don't Fitz, it's okay. I'm fine with that. I know they love me and I love them but what they have with you is really something special. And despite the fact that we hate each other right now, I wouldn't try to take that away from them. They deserve to be happy."

Fitz sighed. He was relieved that she was actually being reasonable about the kids. The whole time they'd been locked up, he had thought about how he could approach the subject without it being a huge argument. "Thank you." He said softly.

She crawled into the bed and turned away from him. Little did he know that she was pregnant again with a baby that wasn't his. Initially, she was going to use it again him, to secure their relationship. But, he wouldn't sleep with her even though she tried just about everything short of drugging him to accomplish it. And now, here she was two months pregnant, lying next to him in some ridiculous cell in what looked like a basement. She smirked. At least she knew that they should be home in a few weeks, a month tops and then she could get on with her life whatever that meant.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia walked into the office next day full of determination. "What do you have for me?" She asked the group of people sitting at the long table.

"There has to be someone working on the inside. It just doesn't make any sense. The timing was perfect. They knew exactly when the President was leaving even though that information was top secret."

"I want you to check out Hal. Did it say how he died?"

Harrison nodded. "Huck found a different video. It appears he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. He accidentally stepped right into the line of fire. Even the look on his face at the time suggests it."

"Huck, get into his bank accounts and see if there were any deposits made. I really hope I'm wrong about this but we need to know for sure." She turned and looked at Abby. "Did you research the list Lauren gave you?"

"Yup. We have a couple of suspect there. The one that tops the list is Hollis Doyle. He has a lot of power Olivia and he's completely obnoxious. I wouldn't put it past him to get his hands dirty."

Olivia looked up at the wall and his picture. "What else?"

"He has close ties with an Associative Justice of the Supreme Court."

"That's interesting, which one?"

She pointed to another picture. "Her name is Verna Thornton. She was nominated by President Grant shortly after he took office."

Olivia was aware of who she was. A woman getting sworn in as a Justice was a major news event. "Keep going down that road. I have a gut feeling that we're on the right track."

There was a knock at the door and Tom peeked his head inside. "Olivia, uh, could you come out here please?"

She nodded and went out into the hallway. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jerry. He found out about the divorce."

"Shit." Olivia muttered. "Is he upstairs?"

"No, he's in the rose garden."

Olivia nodded and followed him and prayed that she'd be able to say the right things to him.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Walking up slowly, she approached Jerry's hunched figure that was sitting on a bench. She sat down next to him. "You okay?"

He shook his head no.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should have just told you."

"It's not your fault. They did this. How long have you known?" He asked curiously.

"I found out from the news like you did."

He nodded. "Karen doesn't know yet."

"Do you want me to tell her?"

He nodded again. "She has the right to know."

Olivia studied him. He was so mature for his age. His 14th birthday was in two days and she had Quinn working on some arrangements to make it special for him. She knew that he missed his friends and that he was going stir crazy.

"We'll tell her together." Olivia said quietly.

Jerry was silent for a minute. He sighed loudly. "They haven't been getting along at all; barely talking or speaking to each other. The last year has been very hard for me and Karen. Mom is hardly around. Dad spends as much time with us as he can. But, he's under a lot of pressure. I try to be there for Karen too. It's bad enough being a kid but then throw in the presidency." He sighed loudly. "I just want to be a regular kid you know? And I feel like I can't be."

A tear ran down his cheek and Olivia felt like crying right along with him. She hadn't really thought about how hard it was to be a kid in the White House. And for the first time, she felt his loneliness and it really made her sad that he had to endure all of this at such a long age. It would probably be different if his parents weren't estranged. The guilt of her part in that started to rise up and she stood suddenly, unable to let herself go there. She held out her hand. "Jerry, come here." She said softly. He looked up at her and took her hand and stood as Olivia stepped forward and gave him a hug. He returned it as he softly cried. "If you need anything, I need you to tell me. I know I'm not family but I will definitely be there for you."

Jerry pulled back and wiped his face. "Thank you. I feel like you are family. When you were helping my dad get elected, I could tell that you two were close."

"You don't miss anything do you?"

He shook his head. "At first I hated you. But, my dad seemed a lot happier when you were around so I figured maybe I should give you a chance."

Olivia nodded. "I could tell how you felt Jerry and it's okay. I understood."

"Remember that time we all went bowling?"

Olivia grinned. "And I accidentally let the ball go in back of me and it landed and then bounced onto your dad's foot."

Jerry chuckled. "That was awesome by the way. It was also the first time that I let go and tried to be nice to you."

"I remember."

_FLASHBACK_

_ "Mr. President, perhaps we should call an EMT or something. Your toe could be broken." Olivia said. She was completely mortified._

_They were all huddled around him. _

_Fitz stared at everyone for a moment and then started to laugh at the absurdity of it all. When he had yelled out in pain, Tom had dove onto Karen, Hal had tackled Jerry, and 8 other agents had drawn their guns with Olivia in the middle with her hands up._

_ "Mr. President, why are you laughing?" Olivia asked._

_ "The look on your face when they were pointing the guns at you, it was priceless."_

_Olivia smacked his arm. "Fitz, this isn't funny. I could have hit you in the head. Can you imagine the headlines tomorrow? Campaign consultant gives presidential hopeful, Fitzgerald Grant, a concussion due to a tragic bowling ball accident."_

_Fitz almost stopped laughing when he realized she had called him his first name in front of everyone but the tragic accident part made him laugh even harder._

_Jerry started to laugh as well which started Karen going and soon they were all laughing with tears streaming down their faces._

_ "Don't even try to laugh at me Jerry Grant. You should have seen the look on your face when you were tackled." Olivia said. _

_Hal grimaced. He hadn't meant to tackle the boy but all he heard was a crash and the President yell and he did it without thinking which started the whole chain of events. "Sorry." He said bashfully._

_Fitz grinned. "It's okay Hal. I'm just glad you didn't break anything."_

_Hal turned red and looked down at the ground. _

_"Somebody help me up." Fitz said. Tom and Hal helped him stand and he limped over to the seats._

_ "It's still your turn Olivia." Karen said loudly._

_Olivia gave her a funny look. "You sure you guys want to take the chance?"_

_Karen giggled. "Uh huh."_

_ "Okay, it's your funeral."_

_Olivia picked up a ball and several agents stood next to each other and formed a lined barrier between her and the rest of them and all she heard was loud laughter behind them._

_ "Very funny…." She said before turning and letting the ball go as the agents held up their hands in front of them. It went right into the gutter. "Damn." She muttered under her breath._

_END FLASHBACK_

Olivia smiled at the memory. "Come on, we should go tell Karen."

"Okay."

"I want you to know that I'm much better at bowling now."

Jerry smirked. "Sure…." He said drawn out.

"I am. I haven't maimed anyone and I can even manage to knock down a few pins."

"I don't believe you." He teased.

"Fine, then when your dad gets back, we'll go again."

"You're on." He said with smile. He really hoped that they'd get to chance.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia walked into Karen's bedroom. She was at her desk studying. Looking up, she smiled. "Hi." She said putting her pencil down.

"Hey."

She saw Jerry walking behind her and at first she was scared but he had a smile on his face. "What are you so happy about?"

"Nothing, we were just talking about the bowling incident."

Karen chuckled. "That was really funny."

"Sure, laugh at the horrible bowler."

"Olivia challenged us again. She says she can knock down the pins now." Jerry said walking over to his sister.

Karen laughed. "Do you use the bumper rails and the ball ramp?"

"Very funny." Olivia said grinning.

Jerry sighed. "Karen, we have something we need to tell you."

She looked between both of them. "Did something happen to mom and dad?"

"No, but it's something about them; something they did before all of this happened."

Now she felt scared. "What?"

Olivia knelt down in front of her. "We didn't want you to find out from the media, but a month before the kidnapping, your parents filed for divorce."

Karen stared at her in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

Olivia nodded. She watched as Karen's face contorted and she started to cry. "I don't understand."

"They weren't getting along Karen. You know that." Jerry said softly.

"But, what does this all mean? Do you we have to leave? Where will we go?" She said as her breath hitched.

"We don't know their intentions honey. I'm sorry." Olivia said squeezing her hand.

Karen wiped her tears away and took a deep breath. "I'm going to lie down." She said standing up and walking over to her bed. She laid down facing away from them. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she knew this was inevitable. But, she had hoped that they would find a way to be happy again.

Olivia stood up and left the room. Jerry was right behind her.

"I'll stay with her Olivia."

"Okay. You guys want to have dinner with me and my team?"

"What are you having?" Jerry asked.

Olivia smiled. "Pizza."

Jerry grinned. "You're on."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia made her way back to the war room. Her phone rang and she picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hello Olivia."

She stopped in her tracks. "Dad? Is mom okay?"

Rowan Pope smirked. "She's fine. Actually, she's in Europe right now with one of her girlfriends."

Olivia sighed. Her and her mom hadn't spoken for 10 months after they got in a huge fight because Olivia refused to come to Washington for Christmas.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Is that anyway to speak to me?" Rowan said indignantly.

Olivia and her father didn't get along that well. His name had come up during one of his investigations and Olivia had discovered that he was the Command person that Huck had talked about. The more she found out about him, the more disgusted she got and they rarely spoke anymore.

"Why are you calling me?"

"I heard you were back in Washington."

"I am."

"For what?"

"I'm not at liberty to discuss that with you."

"Do you really think I won't find out?" He said frowning.

"I don't care what you find out. Just stay the hell away from me. And if you try anything with Huck, I will kill you myself." She said hanging up the phone.

Rowan pulled the phone away looking at it incredulously. He couldn't believe that she hung up on him. He seethed for a few moments and then picked up the phone. "Charlie, I need you to find out what you can about what my daughter is up to. It's important."

Charlie smiled. He always thought Olivia was beautiful. "My pleasure." He said with far too much sexual innuendo.

"Don't touch her Charlie. You won't like the repercussions."

"Relax papa bear. I'm on this." Charlie said smirking.

Rowan hung up the phone. If Charlie wasn't so good at his job, he would have killed him years ago. His sense of humor annoyed the hell out of him.


	4. Chapter 4 – Layers of Deceit

A/N – I did review responses at the end. Thank you for all the follows and favorites. Please take the time to review. I don't get paid for any of this and I spend a lot of time writing. So your comments and participation keeps me going! I love to hear what you think!

Chapter 4 – Layers of Deceit

Olivia looked around the room. Lauren was laughing at something Harrison said. Abby was letting Karen do her hair and Jerry was playing paper football with Quinn. Huck was watching them looking confused. She smiled. She loved her team. They always came through for her even when she had asked them to uproot themselves and move to New York. It wasn't an easy move. She had been devastated by something that happened and it had changed everything. Abby was the only one that knew her true motives. But, she had needed to start over.

Tom sat down next to her and grabbed a piece of pizza. "You okay?" He asked before taking a bite.

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, just thinking."

"You do that a lot."

Olivia smiled. "Would you like me to stop?"

He shook his head. "No, it makes you, well you."

He finished chewing and wiped his mouth. Jerry yelled as he made a field goal and Tom whispered, "You know the President never got over you."

Olivia sucked in her breath. "He's stubborn."

Tom smirked. "Very, but so are you."

Olivia looked down at the table and wondered if Fitz was still in love with her.

_FLASHBACK_

_ "I love you." He breathed out as he collapsed down on top of her. The orgasm was still pulsating through his body._

_She gasped as he rolled onto his side, taking her with him. "I love you too." _

_His tongue swiped across her lips before he captured the lower one between his; flicking it lightly and then sucking on it. Her mouth opened for him and his tongue slid inside, eagerly and passionately rubbing against hers as he kissed her thoroughly. Pulling back he breathlessly said, "God, I love kissing you."_

_She smiled. "I can't believe we made love."_

_It was the first time. After many stolen kisses and make out sessions, they had finally given in. It wasn't planned, but Mellie was back in Washington at a fundraiser and had left them at Camp David with the kids. They were in his office, after a late night work session, on a pull out couch. _

_Fitz traced his fingers down her side giving her goosebumps. He grabbed her ass and pulled her closer. There was no turning back now. He was in love and after tasting her he knew he could never get enough of her body or the way she groaned and panted when he made her cum as she breathed out his name. His need for her was relentless and addictive. All he had to do was think about her and he was hard. _

_ "Fitz." She moaned as he lifted her leg and slid inside of her again. _

_He silenced her with his mouth as her tight walls massaged his erection and he began to thrust harder and harder until they were both yelling each others names in ecstasy. _

_Olivia was in a passion haze. Her body felt like it was on fire. She craved him in a way that she hadn't known before. There was no understanding their connection. It was passionate, heady, all encompassing, and impulsive. She had never needed anyone like she needed him. Every day she did battle within herself, trying to stay away, but she just couldn't. She was the moth and he was the flame. No matter how much either of them tried to stop what was happening between them, it never worked. Somehow they always found a way back. That is why she had given in. Fate had led them to this place and she was just been too tired to fight it._

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The next day, she bit the bullet and went to see Hollis. He smirked as he watched her walk through the door.

"Well tan my hide. If it isn't Olivia Pope," He said standing up, "where have you been?"

Olivia shook his hand and sat down. "In New York. I came back to help find the President and First Lady."

"Such a tragedy really. Are you close to finding out who took them?"

She ignored his question. "I was hoping that maybe you can answer some questions and help me figure that out."

He nodded. "Sure, what can I do you for?"

He studied her. She certainly was cool under pressure. But, if she thought that she could walk in here and nail him to the cross, on his own turf, she was wrong. There was no way in hell he was telling her anything of relevance.

"I understand that there is an energy bill going through the Senate next week."

He smiled. "There is and it will majorly have an effect on the way we procure oil."

"So I've read." She said quickly. "Was the President for or against it?"

Hollis smirked. "I'm sure you already know the answer to that little lady. I'm just not sure why you are pretending that you don't already know."

Olivia didn't blink. "Mr. Doyle…"

"Hollis."

She almost rolled her eyes. "Mr. Doyle, I can't imagine that the knowledge that the President was going to veto the bill sat well with you and the rest of the special interest groups that were backing it."

"You know how it is in Washington. People change their minds all the time. We had hope that he would too."

Her eyes narrowed. "If I was a betting woman, I'd double my wager because I am sure none of you wanted to take that chance."

"Are you accusing me of something? Do I need a lawyer?" He said sitting back in his chair with his arms held out to his side.

"I don't know, do you?"

There was an icy silence that froze the room as they both stared at each other. Olivia had already felt his mood shift and waited to see how Hollis was going to play it. Just as quickly as it had come, the angry look on his face changed to amusement and he laughed. "If you think that I'm part of some conspiracy, then you are a few sandwiches shy of a picnic."

Olivia stood up. What she had come there to do was done. He was rattled and now he knew that she was on to him. And when he reached out to someone about it, she would know because Huck was tracking his calls and following him.

"If you remember anything, call me." She said before walking out.

Hollis sat for a moment. He yelled for his secretary and she nervously ran into the room. "Delores, why are you always as nervous as a whore in church?"

"I….I'm sorry M..Mr. Hollis." She finally spit out.

"Get me Verna on the line and clean up that puddle you just made on my floor." He said pointing to nothing.

She gulped. "Yes sir." She said running out the room.

Olivia Pope was getting to close to the truth and she needed to be stopped.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Verna picked up the phone and called Hollis. "Whatever is going on, I will not talk about it over the phone. Meet me at our place in one hour." She said hanging up. His dimwitted secretary hadn't given her any clues as to what Hollis wanted, but he didn't normally call her. They were so close to all of them getting what they wanted. She grabbed her keys and stood up. There was no way in hell that she was going to allow all of this to fall through.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Huck cursed under his breath. "Olivia." He yelled from inside the room.

She hurried into the doorway. "What's up?"

"Listen to this." He said playing the audio of Verna's message.

"Is she being trailed?"

He nodded. Quinn is following her as we speak.

"Good."

"She has a parabolic mic with her that I rigged up. She doesn't have to get too close and she'll be able to hear the conversation. I also have a recording device on it as well."

Olivia smirked. Huck was always coming up with some kind of MacGyver device. "Let me know when you have something."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

It was a windy day out. Quinn held up the device. She could hear them talking but the wind kept breaking it up.

"She's on to us." Hollis said pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Jesus Hollis, you're giving her far too much credit. She might suspect something, but if she knew everything, there would have been no need to confront you like she did."

"I don't know Verna. Something tells me that we shouldn't underestimate the woman. She's good at what she does."

"We have one week. I just need you to hold it together until then. So grow some balls Hollis. I'll deal with Olivia. I have the perfect person in mind to shut her down. You just don't talk to her again and keep following up with the senators. We have to make sure they are still on board. This is going to make a lot of powerful people some really good money."

He nodded. "I know. Just shut her up."

Verna smirked. "I will."

They parted and went back to their cars. Quinn had to dive into a bush to prevent being seen.

Huck frowned as he heard her yelp and heard the rustling. Then, he heard her curse and the device turned off. "Rookies." He said under his breath.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Quinn strode into the office with a grass stain on her nylons and twigs sticking out the back of her hair.

Abby started laughing. "Where the hell have you been?"

"Shut it." Quinn said walking back to security room. Placing the parabolic mic on the table, she flopped into a chair. "They almost caught me."

Huck chuckled and pulled some twigs from her hair. He grabbed the device and took the memory card out and plugged it into the computer.

"The wind might have screwed everything up."

He put on his headphones and listened to the whole exchange, trying to clean up the audio the best he could. "Get Olivia."

Quinn got up and motioned for Olivia to come into the room and she was soon standing in between them. He handed her the headphones.

She finished listening and took them off. "So, they are working together."

The audio had broken up in places but it was clear that something was going on. The end where Verna was stating she'd get someone to take care of Olivia was completely ruined by the wind. But, they had heard enough.

"We need to keep a close eye on Verna."

"I'm already tracking her."

"Also, I was followed when I went to talk to Hollis. I'm not sure who it was because I didn't get a good look at him."

Huck frowned. "Let's do a little test. Why don't you run and pick up some dinner and I will leave ahead of you. I'll stay out of sight and take some pictures of whoever is following you."

"Okay. Let's do this."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia stood in line at the diner waiting for their orders. Huck had watched a car pull into the parking lot about 30 seconds after Olivia had pulled in. He used his camera to zoom in on the face and gasped. "Holy shit." He muttered. Getting out of the car, he hurried into the lot and snuck up behind the other car. The man had his window down, waiting for Olivia to finish. Huck cocked the gun and the guy froze.

"Get out of the car." He said menacingly.

The man smirked and then pushed the door open and got out. Turning slowly he grinned. "Hello Huck."

Huck stared at him with disbelief. He had hoped that he had just been seeing things.

"Charlie, what the fuck are you doing?"

He shrugged. "You know the game Huck. Command demands and I do what he wants. Don't you miss it?"

Huck glared at him. "No. I don't."

"Come on, be honest. When is the last time you killed someone?"

"I don't do that anymore." Huck said firmly.

"But I bet you still think about it don't you?"

Huck flinched. He wanted to beat the smug look off of Charlie's face. "Why are you following Olivia?"

"You know I can't tell you that."

"I do have ways of making you tell."

"I thought you didn't do that anymore."

Huck shifted. "If you touch her, I will take all of my pent up frustrations out on your body and I don't think you'll like it very much."

Charlie didn't say anything. He could tell by the look on Huck's face that he wasn't playing. "Fine, she's off limits. I had no plans on touching her anyway. I was just following her."

Huck got distracted by Olivia and Tom walking towards her car. "I'll be watching you Charlie. If you so much as breathe too close to her, I will be there and I will kill you without blinking."

Charlie nodded.

Huck lowered his gun and walked back to his car. This was not good. If Command was somehow involved in taking down the President, then it was going to take time to unravel. And time was something they just didn't have."

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

They went back to the war room.

"So, who's following me?" Olivia asked.

"Charlie. I used to work with him."

Olivia put her fork down. She was not expecting that. Why would a trained killer be following her but not kill her. "Did you find out what he was up to?"

"No, just that he was advised not to touch you; just follow."

"That's odd."

"Very."

"Should I be worried?"

"We'll just have to make sure that you have extra security around you when you go out just in case."

Huck didn't bother to add that if Charlie even got close to the line that he'd come out of retirement.

She nodded.

Tom shifted in his seat. He knew that if Huck was nervous, this Charlie had to be pretty bad. He'd make sure to bring a few more agents with him when she chose to go out. There was no way he'd let anyone take her. Protecting her was making him feel like he was still honoring his boss until he got back. There would be no failure this time.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Fitz watched the man walk up to the cell door and unlock it. He was holding an ak-47 assault rifle. Mellie sat up.

"You, come with me." He said to Mellie.

Fitz stood up. "No, you can't take her." He said stepping in front of Mellie.

The man smirked. "Step out of the way Mr. President or I will make you get out of the way." He said menacingly.

Mellie touched his arm. "It's okay Fitz."

It had surprised her that he had even bothered to defend her.

Fitz clenched his jaw as Mellie moved around him and walked towards the man. He grabbed her arm and pushed her forward.

Fitz's eyes closed as the door clamored shut. He didn't even want to think about what they were going to do to her.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Mellie took a seat inside of a room and waited. When Rowan walked inside she smirked. "Well it's about time. I hope you brought me something good to eat."

Rowan nodded. "It will be here in a minute."

"So, how is everything going?"

He sat down across from her. "Well, everyone knows about the divorce."

"Shit." She said loudly.

"Sorry Mellie, there was nothing that I could do. It was filed."

She rolled her eyes. "I'll figure out some way to spin it. How much longer do I have to be in here?"

"At least another week or so."

Mellie sighed. Another week of Fitz barely speaking to her, she was going to go mad. "At least have them take me out of there every once in a while."

Rowan didn't flinch. "You do realize that you are supposed to be a prisoner right? There is no way in hell you can just wander around here like you own the place."

They were interrupted by a guard pushing a cart. He put their plates on the table in front of them and then uncovered them.

Mellie grinned. "Seafood pasta, my favorite." She said already starting to dig in.

Rowan cut into his steak and tasted it, savoring the flavor for a moment. The guard poured him some wine.

"I wish I could have some of that." Mellie said.

"He'd smell it on you."

She rolled her eyes again. "Fucking Fitz, haven't I suffered enough? My hair is disgusting and I smell like an old mildewed basement."

"There's something you need to know." He said before sipping the wine.

"What?"

"Olivia is back."

Mellie groaned and sat back. "You couldn't let me enjoy my meal first? What the hell Rowan? Get rid of the bitch."

Rowan ignored her theatrics. "I will handle Olivia."

"That's it?"

He looked up at her. "Yes." He said before looking back down at his steak before he cut it.

"Does anyone suspect anything?"

"Besides Olivia? I don't think so."

Mellie took another bite. "I'm not going to let that slut ruin my meal."

Rowan bristled at the remark. "I already have a team that is going to rescue you. All you have to do is play along. It's going to be rough. You'll be banged up in the process, but if you play your cards right, Fitz will have no choice but to rescind the divorce and stand by your side."

She smirked. "I can take it. But, I'm not sure how the other wounded party will or even if it's what I want anymore."

He ignored the last part of her sentence. "I'll handle that too. Let's just say that I have some good dirt."

"Good. Don't you even want to know how the kids are?"

She shrugged. "I'm sure they are fine. They always are."

Rowan studied her for a moment. He didn't particularly care for her, not because of her lack of mothering skills and bitchy countenance, but because she was a loose cannon. She was smug, obnoxious, and thought she owned him when it was quite the opposite that was true. There were a lot of players in this and if any one of them faltered or misplayed their hand, the whole house of cards would come tumbling down. And knowing that, Rowan had already put things in place for a plan B. There was no way he was going down for any of it.

"Please tell me there is dessert." She said savoring a piece of shrimp.

"Tiramisu." Rowan said softly.

Mellie moaned.

The guard turned on some classical music and she smiled as they finished their dinner.

"Mellie, when were you going to tell me that you're pregnant?" Rowan asked coldly.

Mellie's eyes snapped open. "You know?"

Rowan gave her a look. "I know everything Mellie. Are you going to use the baby to get him back?"

She shrugged. "I think that ship has sailed. There is just too much damage and he would know it's not his."

"Not really, there are several scenarios that would work."

"Enlighten me."

"Well, he knows you were taken, we could fake a rape."

She smirked. "So, I get pregnant from my rapist?"

Rowan nodded.

She grinned. "That's actually pretty good."

"The public would sympathize and crucify him for leaving you."

She thought for a minute. "He'd probably stay with me but he would still hate me; especially with Olivia back. Maybe it's the pregnancy hormones but I'm tired Rowan. Right now I'm kind of on the fence about my divorce. You can only take so much of someone hating you day in and day out."

Rowan sighed. "Think about it. We still have time."

The last thing he wanted was Fitz fucking his daughter again. She would be better off in New York.

"I will." She said softly. There were a lot of pros to his argument but the cons would be painful and she wasn't sure that she was up for it. Tangling with Fitzgerald Grant was starting to take its toll. She didn't want him back anyway. She just wanted to be First Lady.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

The next day, Olivia, Abby, Quinn, and Lauren, finished prepping for Jerry's party. They had done pretty good since it was last minute and even managed to get the parent's of the kids they invited to agree to sign a non-disclosure contract so that the party didn't get leaked to the press.

They got Huck and Harrison to distract Jerry and the rest of them along with 5 classmates, their parents, and some of the other staff, gathered in the treaty room. The lights were turned off.

"Why did you move my playstation into here?" Jerry said as he pushed the door open.

"Surprise." They all yelled as Quinn flicked the lights on.

Jerry was in shock.

"You're catching flies." Karen yelled laughing.

"Oh my God." Jerry said looking around the room. It was decorated. There was food in the corner and one of the agents was serving as a D.J. The music started playing and everyone swarmed around Jerry who couldn't stop smiling.

Olivia watched him. A girl walked up to him and handed him some punch and Jerry blushed. Olivia motioned for Karen who ran over to her. "Who's the girl?"

Karen chuckled. "That is Jerry's crush Melissa."

Olivia grinned. "She's pretty."

"She's alright. Sometimes, she's a little bossy." Karen said before running off and grabbing a handful of popcorn.

Olivia walked over to some of the parents who were sitting in chairs in the corner. "I'm Olivia, I want to thank you for coming tonight."

Melissa's mother smiled. "No problem. The poor kid deserves to have some fun on his birthday."

Olivia nodded as she listened to them all chat. Jerry was dancing with Melissa and a few of his other friends. They were all talking and laughing and Olivia looked over at Tom. She walked over to him. "Please tell me that there are cameras in here and you're taping all of this."

He nodded. "I knew the President would love to watch it later."

Jerry walked over to them. "Come on." He said grabbing both their hands, dragging them to the dance floor.

Tom grabbed Karen on the way and they danced as they all laughed and had a good time. Cyrus shook his head and smiled as he walked into the room. He placed a couple of presents down on a table and then stood behind Olivia and tapped her on the shoulder. She spun around and smiled and he spun her around a few times.

"Uncle Cyrus, me next." Karen yelled.

Finally, it was time to cut the cake and then they opened presents.

Olivia had gotten him a new playstation game that Karen said he wanted. He gave her a hug and showed his friends.

Cyrus handed him the last package. "This is from your dad. He was really proud of you for getting such good grades the past year."

The room was completely silent. Jerry took the card off the top. "I'll read it later." He said sticking it under his leg. He knew he would be emotional and was trying to hold it together as it was. Ripping the paper off the box he gasped. "Oh my God." He yelled. It was the Sony cam he wanted. He had been talking about it non-stop for months. He wanted to make movies with his friends.

His friends huddled around him as he showed them his new gadget. Olivia cleared her throat to stop the emotion she was feeling.

"Kids have a way of getting to you." Melissa's mom said softly. "I don't think Jerry is ever going to forget that gift."

Olivia sighed. "I know."

"We're all praying that he gets a chance to thank them himself."

"Thank you."

A/N: Some shoutouts starting from bottom to top

Jennkyle – Thank you! * Cleo – Rowan has having Charlie watch Liv * BellaDameNoir – Thanks Again! * Guest – No election rig. There are only so many characters so some will overlap * ABCSOAPFAN1963 – Thank you! * LoreneMichelle41 – Glad you're enjoying it! * mzlizbiz100 – A little bit at a time!


	5. Chapter 5 – Botched Hit

A/N – Thanks for the reviews! Cleo – Don't forget part of the agreement is that her affair be exposed so that will darken her name for future political aspirations. She isn't pregnant by Rowan. And I find the Texas sayings on google lol. But I made up the puddle part. Lol. The rest, you'll have to stay tuned for. * LoreneMichelle4 – Thank you! * Cici G – lol

Having some eye issues right now so please excuse any typos.

Chapter 5 – Botched Hit

The party finally wrapped up and it was just Jerry, Karen, Cyrus, and Olivia in the room.

Jerry took the letter back out and opened it. He cleared his throat. "Dear Jerry, I can't tell you how proud I am that you are my son. I know that my job has made your life very complicated. But you never complain and I don't even know how to explain how much that means to me. Enjoy your camera, you worked hard this past year and you deserve it. Love, Dad."

Jerry sighed and looked up. Everyone had tears in their eyes. "Best present ever." He said softly. Karen got up and gave him a hug. She loved her brother. He always took care of her.

Olivia gave him a big hug. "I'm glad that you got what you wanted and I'm going to work really hard to bring your last and biggest gift home."

Jerry smiled. "I know you will."

Olivia walked Karen to her room as she happily chatted. She couldn't understand how Mellie distanced herself from these kids. She almost immediately fell in love with them.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Fitz watched Mellie being pushed back into the cell. She had a busted lip and was bleeding. They stood looking at each other and then she burst into tears. He grabbed some toilet paper and balled it up and walked over to her and started to examine her face. She winced as he dabbed it and then Fitz hugged her. "You okay?"

Pulling back, she wiped her eyes and nodded. "I'm fine. It doesn't hurt that much. I just need to learn to shut my mouth."

Fitz smirked.

"Shut it Fitzgerald." She said sitting down on the bed.

"What happened?" He asked sitting next to her.

She shrugged. "They were asking me questions about the kids."

Fitz frowned. "The kids?"

She nodded. "What they like to eat. What games did they like. They were all over the place but it was all about them."

Fitz shifted uncomfortably. "Do you think they will try to take them?"

"I don't think so. I think they were just messing with my head, hoping that we won't fight against them because we think that the kids will be harmed."

Fitz shook his head. "I will die before I let these bastards hurt Jerry and Karen."

"We need to get out of here."

Fitz stood up. He was so angry. He gripped the bars and closed his eyes. He needed to calm down.

_FLASHBACK_

_Olivia opened the door to her apartment. "Fitz, what are you doing here?"_

_ "I had to see you." He said pushing the door closed behind him._

_ "What's wrong?"_

_ "I just can't do this anymore. I'm going to leave Mellie."_

_Olivia backed up. "No, you can't. The election is a month away. If you leave now, you will lose."_

_Taking a step towards her, he took off his coat and threw it on the couch. "I don't care."_

_ "Yes, you do care. I have worked my ass off to get you into the White House. Do you know how many people have sacrificed all of their time at the expense of their own families and lives just to get you elected? You can't let them down because of me. I won't let you do it."_

_ "Olivia." He said taking another step towards her._

_ "Stop Fitz, don't come near me." She said holding her hand out. He flinched at her words and she started to tear. "I will not let you do this. I will not let you throw it all away."_

_ "Olivia, I love you and I need you. You keep me sane. My children adore you. I do not want to be in the White House without you by my side. Why can't you understand that? I choose you. I choose happiness."_

_Olivia shook her head and moved over and stood in front of the dining room table. Her heart felt like it was breaking. On one hand, he had said everything she had every wanted to hear. All the doubts that came from being a mistress were quelled but they had been replaced with fear and sadness because she felt as though she couldn't be with him. She was so deep in thought that she didn't realize he was pouncing on her. His mouth covered hers and he was sucking and licking and she felt powerless to stop it. She snapped out of her haze and started to match his passion as Fitz lifted her up onto the table. When he abruptly pulled back, she opened her eyes and the look in his eyes took her breath away._

_ "Aren't you going to stop this?" He softly asked. It was a question for which there was only one answer too, because he didn't think he could handle it if she said yes._

_ "I don't think I want to." She whispered so softly he barely heard her._

_He groaned as he brought his head down to hers and their mouths fused together as they wildly groped each other's bodies. Fitz kissed Olivia so deeply that her whole body shuddered as the kiss burned though her body. Hope, love, promise, passion, with a promise that he would fuck her thoroughly and she was down for the count. Hopelessly lost in the hypnotic movements of his tongue, his hips surged and began to grind into her. She didn't even know how their clothes came off all she knew was that when he entered her body, that it would be the last time and that she was going to savor ever second of it. _

_END FLASHBACK _

"Dammit." Fitz said hitting the bars. If had just convinced her that night to go along with his plan he wouldn't be in this stupid cell.

"Fitz?" Mellie asked softly.

He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to focus on the present. "What?"

She heard the coldness in his voice which she should be used to by now. How could he be that way even after seeing the handiwork of the guards? Was she that repulsive to him?

"Nevermind." She said flipping over looking at the wall. All the bitterness and vile she felt towards him was rising throughout her body and she was livid. She hated him. And when they got back, she would make sure that his precious Olivia was handled. There was no way that whore was taking home the prize.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia walked into the war room after another sleepless night. They needed more answers and she wasn't sure how she was going to get them. Her eye caught the television. "Turn it up." She demanded. Abby grabbed the remote and turned up the volume on the television.

_Reporter: This disturbing photo of an obviously assaulted First Lady was released to the press this morning along with the following statement. _

_ "Before this is over, you will all bow to me."_

_The reporter turned to her co-anchor. "Are you shocked by this at all?"_

_ "Well frankly, I am surprised that there are still no demands. The First Lady clearly looks terrified and we have no idea what the condition of our President is."_

Olivia stared at the picture of Mellie along with the rest of her staff. Lauren entered the room and gasped, seemingly affixed to the floor as she watched in horror. Finally snapping out of it, she handed Olivia a slip of paper. "Here are some new senators that have switched sides. I thought you might want to check them out."

Olivia took the paper and slid it over to Harrison. "People, we are running out of time." Olivia said thickly. "I need answers and I need you to do whatever you have to in order to get them."

They all understood what she meant. There was no need for explanations.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Verna picked up the secured phone as she sat outside a little café. "Are you nearby?"

"I see you."

"Good. I will leave the bag near the chair and you can pick up your first installment."

"It's a pleasure doing business with you."

Verna smiled. "Thank you in advance for making my little problem go away." She said before ending the call. Taking one more sip of her coffee, she smiled before getting up and tossing it into the trash and walking away. The person she had been talking with waited a few minutes and then slipped into the chair as the waiter approached.

"Can I get you something?"

"Can I get a caffe misto please?"

"Sure, I'll be right back."

Huck watched from his perch along with Charlie from another angle. This wasn't good.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Huck had followed Becky back to a small cottage house in Alexandria. He sat there for a minute as he put his gloves on and started thinking about what he was about to do. Charlie knew he was there and decided to make himself known. Knocking on the window, Huck's head twisted around and he frowned. He rolled it down. "What the fuck are you doing here Charlie?"

"The same as you, I'm protecting Olivia."

Huck stared at him and shook his head.

"I know you don't want to get your hands dirty Huck. However, I don't have that issue. I love to get dirty and killing Becky would fulfill a fantasy that I've had for a really long time."

Huck sighed. "You think I'm going to just trust you?"

Charlie smirked. "No, but I was hoping that you'd watch."

They were interrupted as the cottage exploded in front of them.

"Fuck." Charlie yelled. "I'll contact you later."

Huck took off and disappeared into the neighborhood, and Charlie did the same going into the opposite direction.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia sat on the bench in the park and waited for Cyrus to show up. They needed to have a long overdue conversation. It just couldn't wait and she didn't want to take the chance that it could be recorded or overheard.

She looked up and watched him walk towards her. Cyrus looked tired.

"What do you need?" He asked her.

"Answers."

Cyrus sighed. "Olivia, we already discussed this. Telling you who Mellie slept with is not going to bring the President back and it's classified."

"I think you know more Cyrus."

"Olivia, I know what the deal is that was made. I know who Mellie fucked which set off the whole god awful chain of events. I don't know who took the President. Do you really think that I'd withhold that information or that I'd want that bitch Sally running the show?"

Olivia studied him for a moment before answering. "I don't know Cyrus. I just don't know what you are capable of anymore."

It wasn't that Cyrus was offended by what she said. He was more disappointed because they used to be close.

"All I can tell you is that the energy bill is very controversial and that Fitz was totally against it. There were plenty of people who didn't agree and I'm sure you are already looking for them. I do believe it's a team of people. There is no way that any of them could have pulled this off individually. And Olivia, I do think your father is somehow involved."

"Why do you think that?"

"Because I keep tabs and I know he's met with a few people."

"Hollis and Verna?"

Cyrus looked at her with surprise. "Yes and one other person."

"Who?"

"Billy Chambers."

Olivia frowned. He wasn't really on her radar.

"Olivia, you need to be careful. People are talking and I'm worried about your safety." He said looking over at Tom and one other agent that was across from them.

"I'm fine Cyrus."

At that moment, everyone's attention was drawn to a bomb that went off in a trashcan about 50 feet away. Smoke started to fill the air and people were running everywhere. Tom rushed towards Olivia and Cyrus when someone grabbed Olivia's arm and tugged her towards them. She gasped as she was pushed forward and the person dragged her forward and threw her into a car. Her eyes were aching and burning as the tears ran down her face and she struggled to gain control of her senses. The man slid into the seat and gunned the engine before speeding off.

Her eyes finally focused on him. "Charlie?" She asked in fear as she realized she was sitting in a car with a hired killer.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Tom ran down the street chasing the car before he finally had to stop and leaned forward placing his hands on his knees as his chest heaved in pain. His eyes felt like someone had scraped them. A car braked noisily right behind him and he jumped to the side. It was Huck.

"Get in." He yelled through the open window.

Tom jumped in and Huck sped off.

"Who took her?"

"An old associate."

"Will they hurt her?" Tom said wiping his eyes.

"No. He was trying to help her."

Tom got his breathing under control. "Who was he saving her from?"

"Another old associate who is very dangerous."

Tom really was getting annoyed by the cloak and dagger shit.

"I'm not telling you everything for your own protection as well as mine."

"I don't give a shit. But, I swore I would protect her and I failed."

Huck sighed. "There was no way you could have predicted what happened. If we all have each other's backs, we can keep her safe."

Tom didn't say anything. He was just going to be glad when he saw for himself that Olivia was fine.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Olivia took a deep breath. "Are you going to kill me?"

Charlie smirked. "No. If I did, Huck would kill me. And I like my life. I don't want to die." He said turning on the radio.

She saw something flicker in his eyes and they suddenly grew cold. "There is a woman out there who is going to slit your throat and leave you to bleed out on the ground. She does not care about your blood being spilled or that you are command's daughter. She is a fucking machine and she will not stop until you are 6 ft. under. So just listen to me and do what I tell you to if you want to live."

She blankly stared at him although deep down inside she was scared. Charlie suddenly smiled again and started singing along to the radio. He totally creeped her out. Although he was now trying to be charming, she knew the monster that he was and it was completely disconcerting that he could hide that from most people; that his victims probably trusted him and had no idea what the man was truly capable of. He was like a Ted Bundy but he got paid to kill and torture.

They pulled into a parking lot of an abandoned building and Olivia felt her fear start to rise again. She had nothing on her that could protect her from Charlie. But she did know how to run. Before the car came to a complete stop, she threw open the door and took off.

"Shit." Charlie said slamming on the brakes.

Huck pulled in and saw Olivia running and Tom was out of the moving car only stumbling for a second to get his balance. He knew how fast Olivia was and that this was going to get interesting.

Charlie saw Tom sprinting on an angle towards Olivia and stopped. He hated running and he knew that he'd never catch Olivia.

Huck walked up to him. "You let her get out of the car?"

Charlie rolled her eyes. "She doesn't trust me. I think she would have broken the window to get away from me.

Olivia stumbled for a second and Tom was on her. She screamed as his arms closed around her waist and she started to kick.

"Olivia it's Tom. It's okay." He yelled.

She stopped and he let her go. Spinning around she looked up and saw him and her resolve started to crumble and she threw her arms around him and he held her tight. "I'm so sorry I let him take you." He said softly.

She couldn't even talk. She was just so happy to see him.

"Huck is here." He said.

She pulled back and smiled. "He is?"

Tom nodded. "He won't tell me much which pisses me off but as long as he could get you back, that's all that mattered. I think Jerry and Karen would have killed me themselves if I didn't bring you back."

She smiled and wiped her eyes.

"Come on." He said grabbing her arm and leading her back to the car. "You still run really fast." He said with a smile.

Olivia grinned. "Yeah, it comes in handy when psychos try to kidnap you."

"True."

They walked towards the other two men and Liv broke into a run again and hugged Huck who at first was nervous but then returned it. He didn't like Charlie seeing anything vulnerable about him. It just gave him more leverage.

"No hug for me?" Charlie quipped. "I am the one that saved you."

Olivia pulled back. "Thank you."

"That's good enough for me. Now people, what about Becky?"

Huck sighed. "We'll handle it. You come with me and Tom can get Olivia back to the White House safely." He said tossing Tom his keys.

She watched as Huck started to walk away. "Huck, you don't have to do this."

He turned and looked at her and she could tell he had already turned the switch off in his mind. The coldness was palpable. "Yes I do."

She watched him get into the car as Tom held the door open for her. She quietly slipped inside, wishing there was some other way this could be handled without compromising Huck's mental health.

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Tom led Olivia up to her bedroom. "You should rest for a bit." He said softly.

She nodded. "I'm going to take a shower and lay down for awhile."

Tom nodded and shut the door and got someone else to cover while he went and took a quick shower himself.

IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi

Stepping under the water, all the emotions Olivia had been feeling came flooding out. That someone would kill her to prevent the President from coming home enraged her. All the self- serving political bullshit was the main reason she hadn't really missed operating out of Washington. She needed to get her head back in the game and start thinking like the enemy.

Turning the water off, she stood there for a moment contemplating her next move. She needed to shake things up and she knew just how to do it. It was time to piss people off.

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Rowan looked up as Verna walked into his dining room.

"What do you want Rowan?"

Rowan cut into his perfectly done steak and groaned. "So good." Putting his fork and knife down he wiped his mouth and looked up at Verna. "I know what you did Verna."

Verna didn't even blink but deep down she knew she was in deep shit. Rowan is a killer. He might have other people do it for him. But there was no hiding from the fact that he pretty much does whatever he wants to whomever he wants to and that she might be next on his list. "What are you talking about?"

"Did you think that I wouldn't find out that you hired someone to kill my daughter?"

Verna rolled his eyes. "You wouldn't hesitate to kill her if you would wake the hell up and admit that she is a threat to our existence."

"I told you that I'd handle my daughter."

"How? You have done shit and she knows Rowan. She might not have a list of all the names, but she has the ones at the top and she is determined to bring all of us down."

Rowan closed to his eyes to try and control his temper. When he snapped them back open Verna was chilled by the look in his eye. "If you ever go anywhere near my daughter again, I will make sure you suffer so horribly that you will be begging for death and I will not let it come. I will make sure you stay alive so that you are in fucking agony for as long as your body will take it. Do not try to cross me again or I swear Verna, I will take out my wrath on you like a fucking god."

Verna sat back in her seat trying not to let Rowan see how his words really affected her. "Are we done here?"

Rowan nodded and waited for her to leave. He enjoyed another piece of steak and drank some wine. Picking up this phone he dialed and waited. "Make it look like an accident." He said before hanging up the phone. There was no way he'd let Verna live. She had gone too far.


	6. Chapter 6 - Machinations

A/N – Thanks for those of you reviewing. I'm not sure why this story is barely getting reviews. But, I really would appreciate it if people would comment. I am investing my time to write this and it's nice when more people review. Guest – Thank you! Glad you are enjoying it! * jennkyle – Thank you! The eye is still misbehaving but hopefully I'll get some good news in the next few weeks! * ABCSOAPFAN1963 – Thanks! * LoreneMichelle41 – Thank you so much! * Cleo – lol It depends on how much time it takes to rescue them. * mzlizbiz – Thanks!

Chapter 6 - Machinations

Olivia and her team sat in the war room watching CNN.

_Reporter: "We have some breaking news. Supreme Court Justice Verna Thornton was in a fatal accident last night. Sources say that she lost control of her car and went through a guardrail. She was pronounced dead at the scene."_

_ "This is certainly a huge loss for the Grant administration."_

_ "Your right Bob. The police don't seem to think alcohol was a factor. But this is a big loss to the Grant administration."_

Olivia sat back in her chair. "I'm not sure what to think."

"You don't think it was an accident?" Quinn asked.

"I don't know. Huck, was there anything on audio?"

He shook his head no. "GPS showed her in a residential neighborhood last night."

"Get me the address."

Huck disappeared into the server room.

"Lauren, I need you to set up a meeting with Billy Chambers."

"I'm on it." She said returning to her desk.

Olivia still couldn't fathom why Billy would be meeting with Rowan. It just didn't make sense.

Huck hurried back into the room and rattled off an address.

"What did you say?" Olivia said clenching her fists.

Huck read it off again.

"Huck, follow me." She said heading towards the door.

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Olivia and Huck sat on a bench in the Rose Garden. "Huck, I know who lives at that address."

Huck sighed. "I do too."

Olivia looked up at him with surprise. "You do? How long have you known?"

"Quite a while. I followed you one day and did some digging around."

"Why didn't you say anything?"

Olivia had always been scared to tell Huck the truth about Rowan because she thought that it would not only set him back but also he might kill Rowan. And even though she hated her father for what he had done to Huck, she didn't want to be like him in any way. Being responsible for his death would haunt her.

"I thought it was best if you didn't know that I knew. Olivia, you are not responsible for what your father has become and my allegiance will always be with you. Do I want to torture the life out of him? Yes. But, he's also your father." Huck said softly. "I wouldn't do that unless I knew you could handle it."

Olivia sighed. "I'm so sorry Huck. When I found out, I was devastated."

"There is something else that you should know."

"What is it?"

"Your mother is in the C.I.A as well. That is how Rowan gets a lot of his information so quickly."

Olivia was shocked. "Oh my God. That is how he's been staying one step ahead of everyone."

Huck nodded.

"My mother is my father's informant. Unbelievable." She muttered not sure what do with this information. And how was she so blind when it came to her parents?

"Olivia, if Rowan hurts you, I'm sorry but all bets are off. He obviously had Verna killed. I just don't know why." They sat quietly for a moment before Huck spoke again. "What if Verna hired Becky because you were getting too close?"

Olivia's snapped her eyes open. It was a plausible theory. "And then my father finds out and kills Verna."

Huck nodded.

"Why is my father even bothering to protect me when I'm trying to expose him?"

Huck shrugged. "Maybe he wants to handle you his own way. You're in danger Olivia and you need to stay away from your family."

"I need to speak to my mother Huck."

"I don't think that's a good idea. If you clue her in that you know, then how do you know that she won't have you killed?"

Olivia stood up. She just couldn't process this. "She's my mother."

'She's the fucking enemy Olivia. If you think that she's not ruthless and would do anything to protect herself, then you are being naïve. Rowan and your mother are extremely dangerous. I'm only one person and it would kill me if they eliminated you."

Olivia sat back down. "Okay. I will keep my distance for now."

"Thank you."

She tried to think back on anything that would have given her a clue about who her parents really were, but her mind was drawing a blank. Everything was getting more complex and Olivia felt overwhelmed by the enormity of the situation.

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Maya Pope walked into the small Italian restaurant and immediately spotted Billy.

He stood up as she got to the table. "Hello Maya."

She smiled. "Hello Billy."

"I took the liberty of ordering your favorite."

"Thank you." She said sitting down.

"I'll get right to the point. Verna is dead and I want to know why."

Maybe sipped on the raspberry ice tea that sat in front of her. "She was in an accident. Don't you watch CNN?"

Billy was nervous. Verna was a Supreme Court Justice and his gut was telling him that is was foul play. If they were willing to take out someone in that high of a position, then he knew they'd have no problem eliminating him.

"Now now, you look a little pale Billy. Are you scared you're next?" Maya said mockingly.

"Am I?"

Maya chuckled. "You're a little paranoid thing aren't you? I would advise you to get that in check because nervous people tend to draw attention themselves. And trust me, that is something you don't want to do."

The waitress walked up with their order and Maya smiled and thanked her.

Billy had suddenly lost his appetite.

"Billy, need I remind you of what is at stake here? We can't afford for anyone to go rogue or start flapping their gums. Are you still in this or not?"

Billy nodded yes. "I'm still in. I want the bill to pass and for all us to get what we want. It's too late in the game to back out."

Maya smiled even though she still wasn't sure of the man's intentions. He was clearly spooked by Verna's death. "Good. You just need to focus on the prize."

Billy relaxed a little bit. "Here's to the prize." He said raising his glass.

Maya raised her. "I will gladly drink to that."

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Olivia walked into Billy Chamber's office. He looked up. "Olivia Pope, wow how are you?"

Olivia smiled. "I'm fine."

"I was surprised to see your name added to my schedule. I had heard you were back, but I've been quite busy lately."

"I'm sure you have. There is a lot going on."

Billy nodded. "How can I help you?"

"You heard about Verna?"

Billy cleared his throat and tried to keep his voice steady. "I did. It's such a tragedy."

"I'm wondering if it really was an accident."

Billy frowned. "What do you mean?" He said innocently.

"Well, the timing is circumspect. I hope I'm wrong but with all the terrorist threats we are getting, Washington has become a really dangerous place."

Billy nodded. "That is true. I hadn't thought of that. I just assumed it was a tragic accident."

"Who knows, maybe I'm wrong but I just wanted to warn you to be careful and tell Sally the same thing. Anyone close to the President is at risk right now."

Billy nodded. "Well thank you for your concern Olivia."

Olivia stood up. "Of course. I need to go, but if you need anything or get any information, you can usually find me in the war room."

He stood up too. "Thank you Olivia. I really do appreciate it." He said smiling.

He watched her walk out and breathed a sigh of relief. Olivia was right about one thing, he needed more protection. He picked up his phone and made a call.

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Fitz threw the USA today onto the end of the bed. He hated that Sally was running things now and that he might miss out on the vote. Sally had been against him on the bill and he knew that she wouldn't veto it if it came to that. It definitely wasn't the best thing for the country and he hated that he wasn't there to drive that point home. He didn't understand why Cyrus wasn't doing anything to get the word out to the press.

Mellie was sleeping again. He had noticed that she slept a lot. Normally, that wasn't the case so he was a little concerned. She wouldn't talk to him about what had happened when they removed her from the cell. So, his imagination was running wild. He shook the thought away of her possibly being raped and started concentrating on what he was going to do if he got back; wishing that Olivia was there to help him with the press.

_FLASHBACK_

_ "Damn." Olivia said throwing the poll results onto the table._

_ "What's wrong?" Cyrus said looking up._

_ "We're not doing as well as we should be in the polls."_

_Cyrus sighed. "I know. I'm not sure what else we can do. Parading Mellie and the kids around didn't work. Showing Fitz and Mellie being more loving sure didn't work either."_

_ "I want to set up an interview with James Novak."_

_Cyrus frowned. "Why?"_

_ "Because they need a nice fluff piece and James is good at fluff pieces."_

_Cyrus rolled his eyes. He wasn't a fan._

_ "Just make it happen." Olivia said standing up and walking to Fitz's office. She knocked and was surprised when Mellie opened the door._

_ "Good, you're both here." She said walking inside._

_ "What's going on?" Fitz asked as he tried to look unaffected by her presence._

_ "I need you to do a couples interview with James Novak."_

_Fitz frowned. "Why?" He hated fluff especially if he had to do fluff with Mellie._

_ "Because your numbers are down and we need some fast results. Americans clamor for any information they can get on your personal lives. They are reality tv junkies and trust me when I tell you, if we do this right, it will result in huge numbers in our favor."_

_Mellie and Fitz looked at each other and then back at Olivia._

_ "You want us to sit there and pretend that everything is just great?"Mellie asked._

_ "Basically." _

_ "But…"_

_Olivia interjected. "Look, we'll go over a list of questions which we will present to him as fair game so that we maintain control. We'll go over the answers so both of you are on the same page. You will agree to it because the reward far outweighs any awkwardness. So, what do you say?"_

_Fitz knew she was right. And she was so hot when she was in fixer mode. "Okay."_

_Mellie swung her head around to look at him. "Seriously?"_

_ "Let's do this. It's not like we won't know what questions are coming. We just have to keep it straight."_

_Olivia stood up. "I'll be back in a half hour with a list. I will pretend I'm James and we'll go over everything."_

_FLASHBACK END_

Fitz stood up and walked over to the bars with a grin on his face. Olivia was fearless and that was something that he loved about her. The interview had gone really well and his popularity numbers soared. And on top of that, Cyrus had met his future husband.

He sighed. There was an ache in his heart because she had left him; one that no one else but Olivia could sooth. And he didn't care what he'd have to do when he got back. Olivia would be found, that he was sure of.

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Olivia went into a small conference room and waited. This meeting was important. And she hoped that she could pull it off. It had been a long time since she had seen him. In fact, they had broken up around the time she went to work for Fitz on the campaign.

The door open and he entered with a smile on his face. "You look as beautiful as ever."

Olivia stood and they hugged. "It's good to see you Edison."

He smiled. "It's really good to see you too."

They sat down.

"So, what brought you back to Washington?"

"The President's kidnapping."

"I see. And what do you need from me?" He asked curiously.

"I know that you are against this energy bill."

He smirked. "You've done your homework."

She nodded. "The President was against it too."

"Yes, we had a few conversations about it."

"Well, right now, you are definitely on the losing side and we need to get that changed."

He smiled. "What do you have in mind?"

"We need a media blitz to expose the fine print. The people of this country need to know what is going on so that you'll have their support and those who are for the bill will be getting a lot of pressure to abandon their stance."

"Go on."

"I think we need some articles posted on who is for and against the bill. Then, we go for the jugular and start really breaking down how harmful it will be."

"I'm with you."

"It could get dangerous Edison. Some of the people who are backing the bill might be responsible for the kidnapping."

He nodded. "I understand but this bill cannot be passed. I'm in. I'll hire private security if necessary."

"Remember, this can't come from you. However, I would love it if you'd do some interviews if called upon. It will just strengthen your position and give the public some answers."

"I'll do it."

"I'll have my people start the leaks. You won't have to be involved in that. I just need you to be a presence in the media."

Edison smiled. "You were always the smartest girl that I know. I'm impressed."

Olivia smiled back. It was really good to see him. "Thank you. It means a lot."

"What are you doing for dinner?"

"I'm eating with the kids."

Edison frowned. "You have kids?"

Olivia laughed. "No. It's Jerry and Karen. I've been spending time with them so that they don't feel so alone."

"Then maybe we'll have lunch together sometime this week. Everyone needs a little break."

"Okay, you're on."

Edison got up and took one more look at her. "Good luck on your end."

"Edison, please be careful."

Touched that she still cared, he gave her a soft smile. "I will."

Olivia watched him walk out. It had gotten very emotional when they had broken up. So, she was glad that he didn't hold it against her. They had been happy together, but then Fitz came along and the traveling and they grew apart. And even though she knew that Edison would have been good to her, the bottom line was that her heart belonged to Fitz even though she felt like she'd never have him. It wouldn't be fair to Edison to make him think that he had a chance. Because she wasn't anywhere near being able to give him the 100% he deserved.

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Maya walked into the house and knocked on Rowan's office door.

He opened it and was surprised to see her. "You're back early." He said kissing her softly.

"I am. Let's just say that I missed all the action." She said walking by him and sitting down. "Why don't you tell me what's been going on?"

Rowan sighed and sat down. "Well, your daughter is back in Washington."

Maya pretended that she didn't know. "Really? Is she here?"

He shook his head. "No. She's staying at the White House."

Maya frowned. "Why?"

"She's apparently helping with the search."

"Oh."

"She's getting too close Maya. What do you want to do?"

Maya sat quietly. "You want me to talk to her?"

"It won't do any good. I think she's still stuck on Fitz."

Maya rolled her eyes. "Well, we can't let her expose everything."

"I agree."

"I won't kill her Rowan."

Rowan frowned. "I have no intention of killing our daughter. But, we might have to take her until this is all over and put her somewhere safe."

"I agree."

"I'll get my people on it."

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Olivia walked into the dining room to have dinner with kids.

"Olivia." Karen said smiling. "We're having pasta."

Olivia smiled. "Sounds good."

Jerry smiled. "How's everything going?"

Olivia sat down. "Well, I'm still hopeful. I have a few irons in the fire and hopefully, we'll get some more information soon."

Jerry knew that Olivia couldn't tell him everything. But, he was happy that at least she let them ask questions and answered when she could.

"I know that you guys miss school."

Jerry nodded. "I do but I talk to my friends every day and we video chat. It helps."

Karen giggled.

"What?"

"Jerry likes talking to his girlfriend."

Olivia looked over at Jerry who blushed.

"Well someday you'll have a boyfriend." Olivia pointed out.

Jerry chuckled at the look of disgust on Karen's face. "Yeah, and I'm going to tease you endlessly when that happens."

Olivia grinned. She was glad that they were in better spirits. Abby had to come up and do some damage control when Jerry had seen his mother's picture on the internet.

"Olivia, there's a fall dance at the school on Friday night and I really want to go."

Olivia looked up at Tom. "Jerry, I don't think it's safe."

"Please Olivia. No one will even know that I'm coming until we get there."

"But with social media, the press will be alerted by the time that we leave."

Tom cleared his throat. "Olivia is right, it would be very dangerous."

"I know but I feel like a prisoner here. Can't you at least say you'll think about it and see if it can be done? I don't even have to stay for the whole thing. I just want to at least have one dance with Melissa."

Olivia knew it was really hard on Jerry and Karen. They had to be going stir crazy. She looked up at Tom and then back at Jerry.

"You could go too Olivia. Tom can be your date so you can stick close to me and then we can have some agents around the school. Please at least consider it?"

"I would have to talk to the school. I don't know if they'll be willing to risk the other kid's lives. But yes, I'm willing to make some phone calls and I'll talk to Tom about it."

Jerry smiled. "Thank you Olivia. I really do appreciate it."

They finished dinner and Olivia sat with them awhile and then she left.

"Olivia, I really don't think this will work." Tom said.

Olivia sighed. "I know. But, maybe we can do something else."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Maybe we could have a party here after the dance. It would be much safer and Jerry could get to dance with his girl."

Tom smiled. "You're pretty amazing you know that?"

Olivia felt embarrassed.

"Seriously, you're holding those kids together. I'm sure Fitz will be happy to know that they were in such good care."

Olivia smiled. "I'll just be glad to have him back with us."

"Me too." He said getting on the elevator.

Fitz had been gone way too long and Olivia wondered what his reaction would be to seeing her again.

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Cyrus stared at Grayden Osborne for a moment. He still wasn't sure if he could trust the man. "Did you get the information I asked for?"

"I did."

"Good."

Grayden handed him an envelope. He took the pictures out and frowned. "What is Maya Pope doing meeting with Billy?"

"I don't know."

"Grayden, I swear to God that if you betray me, I will ruin you."

Grayden smirked. "Why would I betray you Cyrus? I love my job. Here's a parting gift for you." He said knowing that once Cyrus saw this he would know whether Cyrus was part of the solution or the problem.

Cyrus took the next envelope and carefully opened it. His eyes grew big. "Holy shit." He muttered before looking up at a smirking Grayden. What the hell was he going to do now?


	7. Chapter 7 – Exposed

A/N – Thank you for all the really nice comments! LoreneMichelle41 – Thank you so much! * Fitzisgold-win – Thanks! You'll get your answers soon! * valkel00 – Her parents are definitely a problem! * jennkyle – lol sorry. Thanks for the encouragement! * Cleo – You'll get more insight on the Pope's this chapter. * ABCSOAPFAN1963 – I've been very wiped out and exhausted but finally starting to feel better. Thank you for asking.

Thank you all for taking time to leave me reviews! I really do appreciate it and it made my day!

Chapter 7 – Exposed

CNN was blowing up with the information that Abby had leaked to the press. In fact, every news outlet was running the story and it was spreading around the country and Olivia just prayed that people would be upset and take a stand.

She watched as Edison adeptly answered questions during several interviews. He was good; not too overbearing but very detailed and precise. And while the nation digested the information, Rowan was having a complete meltdown at the Pope residence.

"She is fucking ruining everything." He yelled as Maya looked on quietly. She knew her husband enough to not say anything. He was on a tangent and she would avoid that hornet's nest at all costs.

"It's like she's deliberately trying to piss me off."

Maya knew he was being ridiculous, but men like Rowan thought the world revolved around them. She was more than sure that Olivia's reasoning for the leak had nothing to do with her father.

"Are you just going to sit there?" He yelled.

She sighed. "What would you have me do? Why hasn't someone taken her already?"

"Because she never leaves that damn White House."

His phone rang and he looked down at it and his shoulder's dropped. "What do you want Hollis?"

"What do I want? Are you watching the news? I feel like we're riding a gravy train with biscuit wheels. You need to do something Rowan."

Rowan sighed and closed his eyes. "Do you think I'm blind Hollis?" Not waiting for an answer, he continued. "I'm quite aware of what I need to do. What you need to do is not call me and sit tight."

Hollis almost threw the phone. "Take care of your damn daughter or I will." He growled hanging up the phone.

Maya watched several different emotions play out on Rowan's face before she decided to speak. "You need to draw her out of the White House."

Rowan started at her intently. "And how do you propose to do that?"

"You know what, let me handle it. Just have your men ready by tomorrow afternoon. I'll give you a time later."

Rowan nodded uneasily as she acted as if they were going to go shopping instead of kidnapping their own daughter. His wife was always cool under pressure. She was a hard read because she kept her emotions bottled up tightly. One could never underestimate her because under that blank expression was a cold and calculating woman.

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Fitz stood up and stretched. He was tired of this shit. They had been there way to long without any demands or threats. Something smelled. He wasn't sure what was going on, he just knew that something was amiss. Leaning against the bars he started replaying the abduction over and over in his mind and it didn't add up. At one point, it seemed like Hal had led them right into their captive's arms. He might as well of had them wrapped up in a pretty bow. Frustrated, he sat down on the edge of the bed and put his head in his hands trying to think of something else before his brain imploded.

_FLASHBACK_

_ "You really need to stop staring at me like that." She said under her breath as they walked down a hallway._

_ "Does it really bother you that much?"_

_ "Do you want Mellie or someone else to catch us?"_

_ "Maybe." He said which caused her to stop walking, cross her arms, and look up at him incredulously._

_He smirked. "Olivia, I always make sure no one is paying attention to me."_

_ "Fitzgerald you are the center of attention. Now stop undermining our progress and focus."_

_ "I thought I was focused." He said smiling._

_She rolled her eyes and they continued walking. "I think Sally is up to something?"_

_He frowned. "Like what? Is God going to smote me in the middle of the debate?"_

_ "There are no guarantees." She quipped. "But, I don't think God has anything to do with this."_

_They made it to their destination, a busy room with at least twenty volunteers in it. "Then what?" He asked curiously._

_He made a motion for them to go into his office. Walking inside, she shut the door behind her. _

_ "She seemed really smug when I ran into her earlier."_

_ "You sure that wasn't righteous indignation?"_

_Olivia fought a smile. "We need to find out what she has on you before tonight. I already have a few people on it."_

_ "You're really sexy when you are on your game." Fitz said staring at her lips._

_Olivia watched him watch her and she felt a familiar stirring in her body. No one had ever looked at her like Fitz did. It was almost intoxicating. She needed to get out of the room._

_END FLASHBACK_

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Huck grinned at his monitor. "Gotcha." He said watching Becky exit the trailer. He had to admire her ingenuity. She had parked an RV on the same street her cottage had been on. They had been looking everywhere else when Huck decided to revisit the area. Picking up the phone, he called Charlie to make some plans.

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Maya waited for Olivia to pick up the phone.

"Mom?"

"Hello baby."

Olivia walked out of the war room. "What do you want?"

"Olivia, you might be mad at me but I'm still your mother and you need to be mindful of that."

"We really don't have anything to talk about."

"We can't go on like this. Can't we meet somewhere and hash all of this out?"

Olivia took a deep breath. "I'm really busy right now. Our non-relationship can wait."

"Don't hang up on me Olivia. I know you're mad at me but I need to see you. You can even pick the place."

She knew that her mom wouldn't stop until they met. "Fine, meet me at the park tomorrow at 2 p.m. I'll take a break."

Maya smiled. "Thank you. I'll see you then."

She ended the call and placed another one. "Charlie, I have something I need you to do."

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Huck walked into the bookstore and went to the science fiction section. Charlie was sitting in a corner reading a book. He didn't even bother to look up. "Hello Huck." He said quietly.

"What do you want?"

Charlie put the book down and finally looked up at him. "Maya Pope called me and asked me to kidnap Olivia tomorrow."

Huck plopped down in the chair next to him. "Unbelievable."

"She instructed me that she was not to be hurt. How do you want to play it?"

"Where is this supposed to take place?"

"In the park. She wanted me to plant a small explosive to divert the attention of the secret service and then grab Olivia and shove her into a car."

"This just keeps getting better."

"We'll have to let Olivia know to play along."

Huck nodded. "She's going to be pissed."

"Where should I take her?"

"The same building you took her to the last time."

He nodded.

"Be careful Charlie, I don't want her hurt."

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Olivia sat in the Rose Garden. She had needed some air. Part of her just didn't want to have to deal with her mother right now. There were too many things she needed to do. They had some momentum where the bill was concerned and they needed to keep that up.

Tom sat down next to her. "You need to talk?"

"Everything is just such a mess right now. I think I have information overload."

Tom nodded. "Incoming."

She looked up and saw Huck walking towards them. He sat in a chair across from them.

"What's wrong?" Olivia asked.

"We have a problem."

Olivia sighed. "Now what?"

"Your mother."

"I'm meeting her tomorrow in the park."

"She's planning on having you abducted."

Tom frowned. "What?"

"There will be a small explosive that goes off in a trashcan. There will be lots of smoke. Olivia will be taken and shoved into a van."

"Let me guess, Charlie will be driving?"

Huck nodded.

"So, you want me to play along?"

Tom let out a sigh. "I don't know if my superiors will go along with this."

"Don't tell them then." Huck said. "Do you have agents you can trust?"

Tom nodded.

"Then make sure they are the ones on guard duty."

"Okay."

Huck stood up and left.

"I know you don't like this, but we need for my parents to think they've won. It will buy us some time. You can smuggle me back into the White House later."

"I don't like it. But, I agree." Tom said.

Olivia thought for a moment. It was time to start thinking about how to take down her parents.

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Cyrus sat at his desk wondering what the hell he was going to do about the picture. He took it out of the envelope and studied it again. "Fucking Mellie." He muttered as he stared at a picture of her and Rowan.

He didn't understand what she would be doing with him. Maybe she was trying to get out of their deal. But this changed everything. He had been trying to protect everyone involved so that it didn't blow up in all of their faces. If Rowan and Mellie were plotting something, then he knew it would be big and bloody. It was with that revelation that he picked up the phone and asked Olivia to come to his office.

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Olivia walked into Cyrus's office. She could tell by the look on his face and the almost empty bottle of Tums that it was something big. "You ready to talk?"

Cyrus nodded and handed her the picture.

"Holy Shit." She said mumbled. "Where did you get this?"

"Does it matter?"

She didn't say anything. It really didn't matter. But clearly, her father was going to be a huge problem.

"Olivia, the reason that Fitz and Mellie were getting a divorce was because she had cheated on him with someone she shouldn't have."

Olivia sucked in a deep breath, "Go on."

"Sally walked in on Mellie screwing her husband."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Really?"

Cyrus nodded. "They had been having an affair for months. It was ugly and Sally even slapped her."

Olivia tried not to smile.

"Sally immediately called Fitz and he came over there. She wouldn't even let them get dressed. To say the least, Fitz was really upset."

"Then what happened?"

She wasn't surprised that Mellie cheated but sleeping with Sally's husband was just stupid.

"Sally started to freak out because this was going to ruin her career which was based on God, family, and the American dream."

"I was called over and we tried to come to a resolution."

"And Fitz divorcing Mellie was the solution?"

"We were too close to the re-election to have something this huge blow up in our faces. So, Sally said that she would continue on like nothing happened if Mellie agreed to leave the White House so that Fitz could divorce her. And, Fitz couldn't replace her during the re-election campaign."

"So, she let her husband off the hook?"

Cyrus sighed. "She puts that man through hell every day. I don't even think he has any balls left."

Olivia smirked. "And Mellie agreed to it?"

"She did because I pulled her aside and told her that I had pictures of her with other men. If she didn't take the deal, and agree that if questioned she'd take the blame and say she cheated, I'd release them to the press. She would never ever be able to be in politics again. And you and I both know that was always her intention. She could always find Jesus and repent and somewhere people would be stupid enough to vote her in as mayor or something."

Olivia shook her head. "Wow, that's a lot to digest."

"If she made some kind of deal with Rowan, then you can guarantee that it was big."

"What are you thinking?"

"That maybe your father and Mellie had something to do with the kidnapping."

Olivia sat in her chair stunned. "We need to find a way to prove that."

"I'm working on it."

"You'll keep me in the loop from now on?"

"Yes."

Standing up, the wheels were already turning in her head. They really needed a break if they were going to unravel everything fast enough.

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Rowan left town. He wanted to make sure that he was not around for whatever Maya had planned. Olivia was already wary of him and he didn't want to add to her suspicion. If anyone asked, they would be told he was in New York, but the truth was that he was going to Tennessee for a meeting with all the key players. With the current media storm, they needed to tighten their game plan. The vote was in a few days. They were running out of time.

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Fitz paced back and forth after reading the newspaper. He noticed in the pictures of the press conference that Abby was in attendance. That meant Olivia was back. His sweet baby was back in town. Cyrus must have found a way to get her to help. No matter how it had come about, she came back for him and it gave him hope.

"Why do you look so happy all of a sudden?" Mellie asked curiously.

"Edison is backing my stance. He's creating waves."

Mellie tried to look impartial. "Really?"

"The public is mad about the fine print of the bill. He exposed them." Fitz said smiling. "He has two more days to sway the vote."

Mellie smiled. "You always seem to get your way, don't you?"

Fitz didn't answer her. She was the last person that would understand anything about integrity. He sat on the edge of the bed. Olivia was back and he didn't care if he had to dig his way of the cell, he was going to get back to her.

_FLASHBACK_

_ "I got it."_

_Fitz looked up as he watched Olivia stride towards him. "Sally is going to bring up the two bills you had vetoed. One was regarding drug-testing welfare participants, and the other was regarding immigration."_

_Fitz groaned. "If we institute the drug testing than the kids are the ones who will suffer. It didn't do enough to protect the children. And I am completely against limiting surveillance drones. It's already difficult enough to keep up with drug trafficking. Their 3 mile radius limitation was ridiculous and bordering on being completely irresponsible and irrational."_

_ "I know Fitz but she will try to use it to her advantage. You need to present your argument in a way that will shut the liberal blowhards up and show that you have the people's best interest at heart. I have some ideas. I think you'll like them."_

_Fitz sat back in his chair. "You always come through for me Olivia. I don't know what I'd do without you."_

_Olivia smiled. "That's what you pay me for."_

_He stood up, thankfully that his blinds were closed, and locked the door. _

_ "What are you doing? We have 3 hours until show time."_

_ "I'm trying to clear my mind so that I can focus on what we need to do."_

_Olivia tried not to smile. "And how is your hand up my shirt accomplishing that?"_

_Fitz grinned. "Because right not, all I can think about is you." He said before kissing her soft lips. _

_Olivia gasped as his hand teased her nipple through the fabric. His tongue was sliding against hers in the most erotic way and she couldn't even think anymore. She needed him inside of her, Sally be damned. And she was going to have him._

_END FLASHBACK _

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Huck and Charlie sat in a car looking up at President Lincoln.

"After Olivia's secured tomorrow night, we'll take Becky. She still hasn't come back to the RV."

"I've been sharpening my knives in anticipation. I even brought a new drill."

Huck smirked.

"Rowan is going to know that it was probably one of us who took her down."

"I know."

"And you know if push comes to shove, I'll throw you under the bus." Charlie said matter of factly."

"I know." Huck said quietly. Rowan had a way of breaking you down and Charlie would not want to be subjected to that first hand. Huck had already been there and he knew what to expect. The only thing he had going for him was that Olivia was in his corner.

"I'll make Becky disappear. It will take a while before he realizes what we did and he'll never be able to prove it."

"We'll deal with the consequences when we have to. I'm just hoping that we take down Rowan before it gets to that point."

"There will always be a command Huck. You do realize that right?"

Huck nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

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Rowan walked into conference room and looked around. Everyone looked up at him. Rowan Pope was not someone you wanted to cross. When he called, you came running. They knew how high the stakes were and that if the tide didn't change in the next day, they would lose everything. The lobbyists were getting nervous and senators were starting to defect under the microscope they had been put under.

"We have a lot to discuss tonight." Rowan said firmly. "There are decisions to be made and blood to be drawn. I will not allow everything that we've worked so hard for to crumble when we are so close to the finish line. If this bill passes, you all will be financially set for life. You need to keep that in mind and fight. I have never failed. I will never fail. Failure would be unacceptable. So stop feeling sorry for yourselves and start making some suggestions." He demanded. Sitting back he looked around the room and waited to see who would speak next.


	8. Chapter 8 – Slight of Hand

A/N – Thanks for all the kind reviews! I really love reading them and am glad you guys like the story.

Chapter 8 – Slight of Hand

Jerry cleared his throat and threw a few files on the table. "That should take care of at least 5 of the deserters. It's enough dirt to bury them with if they don't vote for the bill."

Rowan smirked. "Well at least one of you had the foresight to take some initiative."

Hollis snapped the pencil in his hand. "If your fucking daughter hadn't….."

"Hollis." Rowan yelled. "We all know the score but we don't have time to bitch about what happened in the past. We need to move forward. Olivia will be neutralized tomorrow."

"We haven't discussed what we're doing with the President." Billy said.

"The plan remains the same regardless of the outcome of the vote." Maya said.

"Sally is easier to control anyway. Maybe a mishap wouldn't be such a bad idea." Hollis added.

All eyes were on Jerry to see how he would react.

"Sally is a fucking nutter. She's a Jesus freak who is power hungry and will do anything for her own agenda. She will not understand or want to be a part of what we do." He said calmly. "No offense Billy."

Billy smirked. "None taken."

"I have no intention of offing the President, no matter how tempting that would be." Rowan stated. "We'll stick to the plan and wait a few days after the vote to stage his rescue."

"We'll get as much information as we can on the other senators and hopefully, we can turn this around." Billy added.

"Is Mellie up to speed with everything?" Jerry asked.

Rowan nodded. "Pretty much. We let them have a newspaper so they are aware of some of the machinations. She's ready to get out of there. According to the guards, they are both a little stir crazy right now."

"Sally will be happy when she's gone." Billy said.

Rowan smirked. "Wait until she finds out that Mellie is knocked up."

Everyone gasped at the same time except for Rowan and Maya. Rowan figured that if Billy told Sally about Mellie, then she would be sure to stick to her stance against the President and not veto the bill.

Billy was one step ahead of him though. He thought it was interesting timing that Rowan leaked that bit of information and he realized what he was up to. So, he decided to play along. "Mellie is pregnant?" Billy asked incredulously.

"Yup."

"Jesus Christ." Hollis said smoothing down his hair. "That woman makes stupid look smart. Hasn't she ever heard of birth control?"

Jerry smirked.

"Is this something you want Sally to know about?" Billy asked.

Rowan shrugged. "She's gonna find out very soon anyway. At least she won't be blindsided."

Maya rolled her eyes thinking that Rowan couldn't have been more obvious. She personally thought it was a mistake to tell Sally before the vote. But she was going to let Rowan sink or swim on his own merit this time.

They conspired for a while longer and then adjourned the meeting.

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The next morning, Olivia met with Edison.

"So, how did I do?" He asked with a smile.

"Great. Our plan to incite the public seems to be working."

"All of this complicity seems to make you glow."

"I prefer to call it strategic planning."

Edison smiled. "Now what?"

"We did what we had to do. We'll just have to see how it plays out."

"So, no news about the President?"

Olivia took a sip of her coffee. "No. But, I think we're closer than we were before."

"Be careful Olivia. I'm sure that whoever is behind all of this is pretty powerful. You piss the wrong people off…."

"I know. But, I can't do what I need to do and focus on that."

"You have considered that he may not be alive, right?"

Olivia looked away. It wasn't something she allowed herself to think about. "Maybe, but I still have to work from the presumption that he is alive."

"Well, we're in session in an hour. I have to go. But, if you need anything, please let me know."

Olivia smiled and watched him walk away. Fitz had to be alive. There would be hell to pay if he wasn't.

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Billy sat down across from Sally.

"So, how did it go?"

He smiled. "It was interesting."

He had been working both sides for a month deciding that he should come clean with Sally. Luckily for him, she wanted to be President really bad and decided not to stop Rowan. She wasn't in bed with him but she wanted to use him to get what she wanted. If the President lived, (since she had done a great job while he was gone), it would prove to the American Public that she could handle it. If he didn't make it then she would get what she wanted anyway. It was a win-win. For Billy, he just wanted to make sure that no matter what happened he'd win too. He had proven his loyalty to Sally and Rowan would never know that he was playing him.

"Do you have any idea where Rowan is hiding the President?"

"No, that he is not revealing. But, they think that you are still supporting the bill."

"I will until I have a reason not to."

"I do have some news for you that you won't like."

Sally looked away for a moment to prepare herself. "Go ahead."

"Mellie is pregnant."

Billy watched Sally's face turn to stone. She closed her eyes and her jaw clenched.

"She is the devil incarnate."

God she hated that woman. First she had defiled her husband and now there was a devil spawn? "Unbelievable." Sally said under her breath.

"This could make things get messy."

"Ezekiel 25:17 - The path of the righteous man is beset on all sides by the inequities of the selfish and the tyranny of evil men. Blessed is he, who in the name of charity and good will, shepherds the weak through the valley of darkness, for he is truly his brother's keeper and the finder of lost children. And I will strike down upon thee with great vengeance and furious anger those who would attempt to poison and destroy my brothers. And Rowan will know my name is the Lord when I lay my vengeance upon thee.

Billy just sat there and watched her, not sure of what to say.

Sally smirked. "If you don't know what I'm talking about, then maybe you should brush up on your scripture."

"Why would I do that when I have you?" Billy said smiling. To him, Sally was a little eccentric but who was he to judge. As long as he got paid and she took him with her to the next step, he was good. "So, what's the plan?"

Sally was quiet for a moment. The truth was that she didn't trust Billy. He was good at his job and he had confided in her regarding Rowan's plans. But Washington was all about power and to Billy, Sally was a means to an end and there was no way she was going to let him play her.

"Well, let's sit tight for now and see how this is going to play out."

Billy nodded and stood up. "Alright, I'll keep you informed."

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Huck, Olivia, Charlie, and Tom went over the plan one more time.

Tom was nervous. If any of this went wrong, he could lose his job. He had already decided to do one thing as a backup that he hadn't discussed with any of them. There were so many ways that this could go wrong. It wasn't that he didn't trust Huck and Charlie, it was Rowan and Co. that he didn't trust. If anything happened to Olivia under his watch, the President would not only ruin his career but he was pretty sure that he would make sure someone ended his life.

"Charlie, has Maya called you again?"

Charlie's voice filtered through the speaker phone. "She won't. All of this has to be done with limited contact."

"We have one hour to go." Huck said leaving the room.

Olivia walked over to a window and looked outside. She would expect her father to behave like this and she was quite certain that he was completely aware of what his mother was going to do. But she just couldn't process that her mother was just as ruthless. The only reason they would try to pull off this ridiculous kidnapping would be to shut her up and prevent her from ruining the vote.

Abby knocked on the door. "Olivia, we have a problem."

She followed Abby back to the war room.

_Reporter: _

_We have breaking news for you. Four senators, in an act that at this point could be a career- ending move, have inexplicably flipped their vote yet again and went back to supporting the proposed energy bill. Sources say that this could be the push that the bill really needs._

Olivia was livid. "We have to find a way to stop this."

Abby shrugged. "Olivia, we've done everything that we can."

"Maybe I should speak with Sally."

"I don't think it would do any good. She's been pretty vocal about supporting it."

Olivia was frustrated. She felt like she was failing Fitz.

"I will keep working on it okay. I'm not saying we should give up but I'm just not sure what else can be done."

Olivia nodded and walked out of the room. It was almost time to meet her mother, and she really wasn't looking forward to it.

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Maya watched her daughter walk towards her. She smiled and stood up. "Olivia, it's good to see you."

Olivia stopped in front of her. "Mother, I wish I could say the same."

Maya shot her a look and they both sat down. "I thought that by coming here today, you were more willing to bury the hatchet."

To say that it was difficult for Olivia not to tell her mother off was an understatement.

"Say what you want to say please. I'm very busy."

"I know. You don't think I keep tabs on you?"

Olivia sighed. "I'm sure you do. It helps you feel like you are still in control."

Maya smirked. "I love you Olivia. I'm just trying to keep you safe."

Olivia chuckled. "You are basically stalking me. Let me tell you something, I am an adult not some child that needs her mother to hold her hand. Stop treating me like I'm incapable of taking care of myself."

Maya looked away. She tugged on her earring as a signal and then looked back at Olivia. "If that is the way you feel, then maybe we should keep our distance from now." She said standing up.

Olivia stood up too. "That is more than fine with me."

Olivia started to walk away and the bomb exploded. Even though she knew it was coming, it shocked her and she jumped. Maya had fallen to the ground so Tom reached to grab her as smoke started to fill the area. Someone had grabbed Olivia's arm so she allowed herself to be led to a car. Charlie shoved her into the passenger seat as Tom ran towards them. And to Charlie's shock, the car took off.

Tom stopped beside him. "What the hell just happened?" He said before he coughed.

"I don't know."

Huck pulled up and they jumped into his car.

"Who took her?" Tom asked.

"I'm not sure but they are using something to block her GPS transmission." Huck said as he sped down the street.

Tom made a call. "It's me. Do you still have an aerial view?"

Huck looked over at him, shocked.

"Check your phone."

Tom took out his phone and could see the car they were tracking. "Got it." He said ending the call. "Huck make a right up here and then a left."

"Who was that on the phone?" Charlie asked.

"A friend. I'm sorry but I had to do something just in case and now I'm glad that I did."

Huck nodded. He was glad too.

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Olivia looked over at Becky. "Who are you?"

Becky smiled. "Well, you could say I'm your judge and jury. Verna sent me and I'm just finishing the job she paid me for."

Olivia turned the other way. She knew she was in trouble.

"They can't track you in here. I'm blocking their device. Face it. It's just you and me. Hope you like country music." She said turning up the radio and singing along.

Olivia was on her own and she had no idea how she was going to escape.

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Fitz sighed. There was one more day until the vote and from what he read, it didn't look good.

Mellie rolled her eyes. "How many times are you going to read that same thing?"

Fitz looked up at her. "Why do you care?"

She rolled onto her back. "Do you have to be so snippy?" She said laying her hand on her stomach.

Fitz was going crazy. If he didn't get out of this situation soon and away from Mellie, he was going to lose his mind.

_FLASHBACK_

_Fitz removed his hands from his face. "I don't think I can do this." He said solemnly._

_ "Do what?" Olivia asked._

_ "Maintain this charade."_

_Olivia laid back on the pillow. "Do you want me to quit?"_

_Fitz frowned. "No, it's not you. This whole situation with Mellie is not healthy for us or the kids. We're all miserable and pretending to be something we're not."_

_ "So you're just going to give up?"_

_ "It's more like I'd be keeping my sanity."_

_ "Fitz, I could give you the whole you've waited your whole life for this speech, but somehow I think it would be lost on you. You need to think carefully before you make any decisions. And frankly, I don't think I should even factor into it."_

_Fitz looked at her incredulously. "Olivia, you are what I've waited my whole life for. How can I remove you from the equation?"_

_ "It simple." She said standing up. "Just do it or I'll remove myself from the equation."_

_ "What the hell does that mean?"_

_Olivia roughly pulled on her clothes. "It means that I will not let you use me as an excuse to quit. I will not have you look back 10 years from now and regret that you chose me over a possible presidency."_

_ "You see us together in 10 years?" He said with a smirk._

_Olivia rolled her eyes. "Don't change the subject. I mean it Fitz. I backed you and helped out on this campaign because I believe in you and your ability to run this country well. Our economy is a mess right now and I believe you can start to fix it and hopefully have 8 years to do so."_

_ "Are you giving some kind of veiled ultimatum?"_

_Olivia walked towards the door. "Maybe I am." She said before walking out the door._

_Fitz closed his eyes. "Damn."_

_END FLASHBACK_

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Grayden sat across from Cyrus and watched his face as he read the report.

"So, you're sure this is where they are keeping the President and Mellie?"

Grayden nodded. "We have tortured the information out of two separate guards."

Cyrus rubbed his face for a second. "What do you want to do?"

"I'm getting a team in place. We're doing surveillance. We move the day after tomorrow."

"But, you don't truly know what you're walking into."

"No we don't. But, we have a pretty good idea how many guards are on site. There have been rumblings that in three days, they are going to be moved. So, we'll beat them to the punch."

Cyrus stood up and walked over to the window. "This is the President's life we are talking about. If something goes wrong…."

"We blame it on the terrorists. And if we rescue him, we'll be the heroes."

"I don't know…."

"You didn't get to this point in your career being a wus Cyrus. Sometimes you have to make the hard call. Every day the President is gone this country suffers for it."

What Grayden really wanted to do was beat Rowan at his own game. He was sick and tired of him doing whatever he wanted. And once the President was safe, Grayden planned on exposing Rowan for the traitor that he is along with his wife.

Cyrus sighed and popped a few tums. "Fine, do what you have to in order to save him."

Grayden smirked and stood up. "You won't be sorry Cyrus."

Cyrus watched him leave and then sat back down. He just hoped that whatever Garyden had planned would work. Failure wasn't an option.

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Olivia looked out the window of the car. She had no idea where they were but she could see they were in the mountains. The area was dense with trees and they hadn't passed any other houses. She looked down at the heels on her feet and sighed. There was no way she could run through the forest with them on. Gazing over at Becky, she wondered why someone would choose the life she did and apparently relished it. The other woman seemed very pleased with herself and Olivia knew that if she was anything like Charlie, she was in deep shit.

The bottom line is that Rowan had created a monster and unfortunately, Olivia would pay for that probably with her life.

"Don't look so down Olivia. We're going to have some fun. Think of it as a vacation."

"Since when is death a vacation?"

Becky rolled her eyes. "Like life is such a picnic? Please."

"You could let me go and I won't say anything."

"And what fun would that be?"

"It might save your life."

Becky laughed. "You are the only one in this car that needs saving."

Olivia smirked. "That's what you think."

Becky glared at her. "You are ruining my good mood. And trust me—you don't want to do that."

Olivia smiled and started singing along to the radio as Becky seethed at her.

Becky decided that she'd cut out Olivia's tongue first.

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Huck looked in his rear view mirror at Tom. "Are they still moving?"

"Yeah. What's the plan once we get there?"

"Becky would slit her throat in a second if she was cornered."

"Why would she do that if she could use Olivia to get out?"

"Because it would be part of the thrill. She was hired to kill and in this line of business, failure is not tolerated. She'd kill her and then figure out a way to get out."

"So, how do we kill her?"

"We think like her. The area is probably booby trapped and she may have even set up cameras."

"Then how do we get her out of there?"

"We become ghosts."

Tom didn't say anything. He understood what Huck wanted to do. He just had no idea how the man intended on doing it. They just had no equipment on them.


End file.
